I’ve just noticed how I seem to have a lot more free time lately. I’m working out more. I’m reading more. I’m spending more time on side projects. And yet I still find myself with more time than I know what to do with.
The reason why just hit me. A couple months ago I imported my YouTube subscriptions into my RSS reader. Since then I haven’t been spending nearly as much time on the platform.
YouTube used to be my biggest time sink. I’d watch whatever new videos my subscriptions have uploaded, then I’ll typically go down a rabbit hole of suggestions. The YouTube algorithm does an alarmingly good job at identifying the particular sub-topic you’re currently interested in, and recommending similar videos. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I don’t usually end up feeling fulfilled.
Now that I have my subscriptions in my RSS reader, I find myself only watching whichever video was uploaded. Not seeing any clickbait thumbnails is a nice bonus as well.
Crucially, I feel less compelled to watch a video immediately when it’s uploaded. On YouTube, it takes only a couple days before a video gets pushed far enough down the list that you forget about it. Subconsciously it encourages the thought, “I better watch the video now before I forget.” With an RSS reader I just leave the entry unread and get back to it later.
I still visit YouTube occassionally though, since I only imported subscriptions that have a high enough signal-to-noise ratio. It keeps my feed useful. Anyway, I think YouTube’s recommendation algorithm has merit; it’s how I originally got inspired to try climbing. But it’s all too easy to get sucked into a rabbit hole and before you know it, you’ve spent 2 hours watching clips of Friends.