5 Ways to Cut Back Facebook Time

(source)

I've betrayed myself. Only months after I wrote this post on how and why to quit facebook, I went back. Now, since this is my blog, I have exclusive justification rights which I plan to exploit to the fullest! You may call me a hypocrite in the comments below, but up here, I'm the only one talking.

All kidding aside, I do have (good) reasons for returning to facebook. One is that I have awful friends who don't know how to keep an email conversation going beyond 3 emails. The other is that I am pretty much the same. Other reasons include all those pictures I didn't get to see of my friends and family: Kids growing up. great places to see, etc. And of course, facebook is a great (read: free) marketing tool for things like, um, this blog?

Still, my reasons for quitting in the first place haven't changed. I'm still worried about spending too much time on there instead of doing stuff that'll matter in the end, so I've thought of some ways to keep myself from spending too much time getting lost on the profiles of friends-of-friends I hardly know.

1. Unsubscribe from e-mail notifications.
   It's much easier to stay away from a website if there's nothing that's drawing you back there. One of the things that gets me on a website (facebook, couchsurfing, blogger) is when I get emails that alert me to some kind of change. I've now unsubscribed from every single notification on the website, and now only log on when I feel like it.
2. Limit the flow of information.
   There is more information floating around on facebook (or the web for that matter) than what we possibly could or would ever want to process. Use those little arrows that let you unsubscribe from the stuff you don't really care about. Lots of facebook contacts are acquaintances of mine. It's nice to know when something important happens, but I really don't need to know what each one had for breakfast.
3. Set a specific time.
   Control yourself by setting a limited time on which you will look around facebook stuff. I suggest doing this for most activities because it will make you more focused and involved with the activity at hand. A limited time means that the time you spend on your activity becomes more valuable. You can use the tool I mentioned in this post to help you.
4. Set priorities.
   If you know what you want to see, who you want to get in touch with, what you want to do; then you'll be able to focus on that one thing and do it quickly and efficiently. Don't just 'go on facebook', do something specific like 'looking at friends' holiday pictures', 'updating your status' or 'sending a birthday message'.
5. Quit the games!
   No further explanation needed, I'm sure. When I quit it was the height of Farmville. I see that has come and gone to make room for other, similar stuff.   

A great way to motivate yourself is to track how much time you spend on facebook for a week, and see which other goals you would be able to accomplish within that time (or part of that time).