The "Extra Time" Dilemma

The first topic that I would like to approach is the issue that I have to deal with every time I log on or pick up a game. My time is limited. When I turn on a game I have to make very specific choices as to what I want to accomplish during that time. Before WoW that basically consisted of "make it at least to the next check point". Now that I am playing a game that does not have "checkpoints" that question becomes much more mind boggling. There are now expansion goals "Kill the biggest of the bad!", monthly goals "Get X,Y,Z Meta achievement", weekly goal "Run first boss in Karazhan in hopes of Midnight dropping", and daily goals "DO THE DAILIES!!!!". Anything that you do in game outside of these primary goals I am going to call "extra time" i.e. "I have completed the weekly goals, and daily goals.....now what." I have a level 85 Troll Elemental Shaman who is the "main" time sink. He has the mounts, achievements, pets, title, etc. But once I have him 346 geared, have reached the daily and weekly goals then I face "extra time"

Recently I have had to remove one aspect of Warcraft that was taking too much of my time and energy. I am not talking about fishing achievements. No raiding had to go away. Raiding made the game into any other video game where my game time was completely consumed by it. I was either getting ready to raid or raiding. When I logged on my purpose was set, get ready to raid, then raid. After 2 kids and multiple "your playing too much" talks with my wife I am freed to look into other parts of the game long ignored. At first I thought "What am I going to do if I am not raiding 3 nights of the week and preping to raid 4 nights of the week?" Turns out there is more than I can handle especially with the Cata expansion.

I spend about 2/3 of my game time with the Goals and then working on the "extra time" projects. Sometimes I am not sure what I want to do with this time since it is such a precious commodity. Do I work on something that will bring great reward now, or slowing work on bringing alts to level so that I can get their benefit in the near future. Some times I will sit at my character screen mousing over each of my 8 toons (spanning levels 12-85) and thinking about the possibilities of each and trying to figure out what is the best use of the "extra time".

What do you fill this "extra time" with? How do you get the most out of your subscription? What is fun for you, after the "chores" are done?

Divinerath