> I’m curious how relatively content-free entertainment works into your calculus.

It's an issue I struggle with. My problematic relatively content-free entertainment is video games, youtube, and reddit. Two issues form the basis of the problem:

* desire for escape: becomes particularly strong when my future feels bleak, or the stresses due to life seem too much, or when I feel lonely

* addiction: wanting to completely quench "curiosity"---in quotations because I'm not sure if its the right word---basically feeling like I _need_ to "fully explore" a particular story/world/game world/game mechanic (e.g. the random crafting systems in some "action RPGs", which are basically gambling)

What helps:

* (escapism) realizing that imaginary worlds simply do not compare in depth to the real world; paying attention to how I feel once I am done binging a TV show/when I hit the limits of game mechanics/realize that there are no Wikipedia articles for learning more about some story world I am into

* (escapism) managing anxieties regarding the dangers of the real world (e.g. not being smart enough to explore the real world, going hungry, feeling that I lack discipline, etc.) by being non-judgemental, and accepting wherever I am right now, rather than worrying about the future

* (escapism) trying to systematically cultivate awareness and self-kindness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ap_-F9D5Gw) in order to be non-judgemental about who I am, and accepting of where I am in life/not try to predict the future.

* (escapism) one thing that I think could help me deal with escapism is to develop a robust social life in a setting which isn't work/research related. This is something that terrifies me, so its a project I have left for the future. I know for a fact though that a lot of my reddit binging is basically trying to fill the socialization shaped hole in my heart.

* (addiction) learning about the techniques used to foster addiction (https://www.1843magazine.com/features/the-scientists-who-mak...) so that even while I am addicted, I can at least identify what is helping me be addicted---this is useful in kind of detaching myself from my addiction, and observe it in a way that gives me more control over it. On a similar note: analysis of movies presented by youtube channels like RedLetterMedia are both fun to watch, and useful in understanding the entertainment we binge on in a deeper way. Thus, when you're watching something, one ends up having occasional "detachments" which remind you that you are consuming a human-made product. This helps to ground me in reality.

* (addiction) realizing that addiction isn't a terrible thing, it's just a tool (developed by evolution) that can be misused. So, I try not to judge myself for it, and instead have ended up making a hobby out of trying to imagine how addiction can be "harnessed" into "motivation" for education (game design, thinking about what makes math fun when I do get "sucked into it", and so on. I hope one day I can earn money making products which are "addictive", in a productive way (i.e. teaching useful skills and exploring difficult/beautiful things which require a sequential build-up of concepts over a period of time).

* (overall) being willing to forgive myself for my daily failures, in order to move beyond self-pity and helplessness. In fact, being addicted/struggling with escapism has had some positives: it has motivated me to learn about how to make products which harness these feelings in a useful way! Silver lining? Not sure.

* (overall) It's worth noting that we are discussing the value of idleness, without judging how productive that idle time is.

Also, regarding non-judgementalness of self and others: there is some great info in this thread too. In particular CTRL+F for "Thaler".