Regarding spending less time on HN: I did a 6 month blackout of HN because I perceived that it was taking too much time that I could spend on side projects. After the 6 months I came to the conclusion that I wasted that time on other things. Turns out that I didn't actually want to be productive, and I just want to waste time because my job and family life requires me to be responsible and productive all day long, and it's nice to be slacking off every now and then. So now I am back on HN to waste time :)
All joking aside :), checking HN is not time-wasting if it is useful for one's priorities (professional, personal development, etc.).
I don't read everything on HN, but I can usually find here interesting articles, and most of the time the discussion threads are even more interesting than the articles.
I agree that it's all about priorities and being mindful about when I drift away from doing things I prioritize.
I'd add that kids have taught me to be a better planner, and to break my priorities down into small, well defined chunks that can be slotted into a busy life. This has been valuable in general, not just for programming.
As a general principle, it's all about "priorities", and "how bad you want it?".
Most of us have time for things other than work and family (unless, of course, you're a single parent trying to juggle 2 jobs, etc.)
Instead of listening to music during commute, one can listen to professional podcasts or talks (youtube to mp3 is great).
Instead of watching TV you can read a book or program.
Instead of spending time on sites like Hacker News (I'm not trying to be cute) you can spend that time on your higher priorities.
I think we all have time for our top priorities. It's just a matter of reordering that list.