FINALLY! Find out How Much Time You've Wasted on Facebook

The average user spends 17 minutes a day on Facebook.

How does that compare to your Facebook time?

I have a confession.

I sometimes have trouble getting to sleep. So I'll go on Facebook and spend an hour or more watching videos, reading updates -- just to trying to get sleepy!

A few months ago, I decided to find out exactly how much time I was investing online.

I found 2 different methods.

In this article, I'm going to show you how to get started with Facebook time management.

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FINALLY! Find out How Much Time You've Wasted on Facebook

Here's the thing: Facebook is like any other tool. It has a proper use, acceptable uses -- and there are some things you shouldn't do with it at all.

For instance, you can use a hammer to drive a nail (proper use), as a doorstop (acceptable use), or to bonk your buddy across the head.

I love Facebook as a business tool, and I enjoy keeping in touch with friends and family -- but when I go over the line and WASTE time needlessly (time that should go to other things), a correction is needed.

I knew I was drifting over the line (at times), so I started trying to figure out how I could monitor my Facebook activity to get an accurate idea of exactly how much time I was "wasting" there.

Here we go:

Facebook time calculator 1: Check out the cool tool

This sweet little app was launched just before Facebook's 10th birthday (2014).

Here's what Time had to say about its development:

"Facebook doesn't publicize data on exactly how often a user logs in, though you can bet that they've got that information. In lieu of that measurement, this app runs through the timestamps on every post in your feed until it reaches the earliest one."

While this tool may not give you the most accurate measure, it does give you a rough idea of how active you are on Facebook. And that can get you started on a Facebook time management plan.

I can't tell you how well it's been maintained or how close the tally is... but I can tell you it's FUN and it's FREE!

All you need to do is enter your Facebook login info and punch a button!

According to the app, since I registered my Facebook account (2008) I’ve invested over 29 days of my life on Facebook.

That's fair. (I think.)

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Facebook time calculator 2: Monitor your time for a month

RescueTime is the time tracker I like best. It's an accurate way to find out how much time you spend on watching movies, posting on Facebook, surfing the web and any other category of online activities.

All you have to do is install it and forget about it. The app does all the work for you and will even send you a weekly email of your progress.

I’ve been using this for months now... and I love it.

Here are some details of the time I’m spending on social platforms. According to this RescueTime, I was logged on to social media sites for 33 hr and 20 min in the tracked month.

17 of those hours came from Facebook.

Yikes!

I also checked out other alternatives -- and while RescueTime was the one that seemed a better fit for me, you might like one of the others better.

Here are a couple of the primary contenders for Facebook time management tools:

• Time Doctor uses a welcome gate to get you going with a test run. You can see a rundown of the basics on their features page. 
• Manictime takes you straight to a download page. They offer a limited-feature free version or a one-pay pro model.

Wrapping It up -- FINALLY! Find out How Much Time You've Wasted on Facebook

Facebook may be the  most powerful platform anywhere for social media marketing -- but it can also be a huge time drain.

By setting up a time tracking system, you can find out HOW MUCH time you're on Facebook. That will empower you to decide whether or not that investment is reasonable.

KNOWING what you're doing helps you MANAGE what you're doing. I've found this data to be of real value for planning.

Consequently, I've taken back some of my own Facebook time to enjoy other activities:

• Reading a book
• Doing chores around the house
• Walking the park

How much time do you think you "waste" on Facebook?

How are you measuring it?

I'd love to hear about your own experience and results