People love Facebook games. They’re free and can be played in just a few minutes during a short break–unless you get carried away. If you play too many games, or get too caught up in reaching the top, they can become expensive and time-consuming. I’ve read about people setting their alarm clocks to be able to harvest their Farmville crops the moment they ripen.

This said, I love my Facebook games, too. I’m an author and I’m pretty much on the computer all the time, writing for clients, working on my websites, and writing books. Facebook games are sometimes a mental lifesaver, but they don’t run my life. I don’t watch television because I get bored doing my mindless entertainment in ways that don’t require anything of me. Instead I read or tackle my little games.

Following are some tips for making sure Facebook doesn’t take over your life:

1. Choose when you’ll play. If you set a time, you won’t be on all day. I am not a morning person. In the mornings, I’m brainless and non-social. That’s when I play. As I tackle my games, the comics, and the morning news, I gradually wake up and come to life. It’s time I would be staring blankly into space during otherwise. Once in a while, I’ll pop in between articles. I like to do something mindless as I move my brain from one topic to the next. As I play, my mind is shaping the next article so that when I go back to work, I write quickly. I prefer brainless games that leave my mind free to roam through the writing possibilities.

2. Don’t play every game offered. I am signed up for a lot of games, but I only play three at a time and none that require more than ten minutes at a time to play. Some don’t even take that. I can be in and out of one game in two minutes flat if I’m in a hurry, just resetting the clock and taking a quick one question quiz. People can still use me as a neighbor, even if I’m not playing, so I’m useful that way. If I tackle a new game, I let another one go for awhile. My list of three tends to change, based on my mood, but because of this rule, I don’t like to play games that can’t be “turned off.” Petville, for instance, sends your pet to the pound if you don’t show up daily, so I dislike it. However, Farmville can easily be turned off. Crops don’t have to be replanted and trees and animals have no expiration date. They can be done whenever you decide to play that game again.

4. Don’t spend real money on the games. You don’t own them and they can disappear tomorrow. Only buy what you can buy with the game’s pretend money. This keeps the game from becoming too important to you.

5.  Send gifts. These games always let you send gifts. Do so periodically. It may be unimportant service, but it’s easy service. It helps you remember to serve.