Bad habits like reading crap on the Internet, watching TV, watching porn, playing video games, sleeping in, and so on are obvious losses.

Objection: I like all of these things. Well, except watching TV. Calvin said it best: "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."

But I actually like the goal of becoming (the equivalent of) a thousand-year-old vampire, too. And there's not enough time for that, either. That is, ultimately, what convinced me that death is bad and life extension is good: There's not enough time to do life right. Doing it right, at least for me, means both becoming awesome and sleeping in when I feel like it.

It's not just bad habits, though; a lot of it is your broader position in life that wastes time or doesn't. For example, repetitive wage work that doesn't challenge you is really just trading a huge chunk of your life for not even much money. Obviously sometimes you have to, but you have to realize that trading away half your life is a pretty raw deal that is to be avoided. You don't even really get anything for commuting and housework. Maybe I really should quit my job soon...

If your field of expertise pays, you can level up while still getting paid by changing jobs regularly. I am not sure how often "regularly" should be, but I noticed a huge boost in my own skills the last couple times I started a new job in my field, followed by eventually getting bored and leveling off. Assuming you're following a normal career, you can't change too often or getting the next job will become hard; but if you're bored, complacent, and inert, it's probably time to move on.

[Edit: is Noticing Boredom a recognized mental skill? Because it should be.]

Full disclosure: I'm in the process of trying to do exactly this now. Note to six-month future self: Reflect on whether I actually did experience a similar skills boost after switching.

I have 168 hours a week, of which only 110 are feasible to use (sleep), and by the time we include all the chores, wage-work, bad habits, and procrastination, I probably only live 30 hours a week. That's bullshit; three quarters of my life pissed away. I could live four times as much if I could cut out that stuff.

Amen.

Also, on the topic of social environment, here is the obligatory plug for the Less Wrong Study Hall. If you're outside the Bay Area and have no one to work with, come work with us. We have cookies. (cookies may be a lie)