Finding your own path applies to so many areas in Judaism. A path is defined, yet it is wide enough that there is more that one route on that path.

As far as Beyond BT, there is certainly Torah learning, chizuk, inspiration and lots of Chesed involved, so please stick around. In terms of overall Web surfing, we each need to decide what is necessary and what can be cut down. And we all know how cunning the Yetzer Hara is in this area.

So basically it is up to the individual to create a good mix, with emphasis on increasing learning time? (are you also telling me to get off your website and learn a little more? :))

1) Torah, Service, Tefillah, Parnasa, Children and leisure activities are all important and each person needs to work on the proper mix of time allocation depending on their situation.

2) Almost everybody can add to the time allocated to learning. The best way to proceed is to increase it in small increments like 5-10 minutes a day and to make set times for learning (kovaya itim).

3) Leisure activities like newspapers, tv, movies, web surfing, etc.. can usually be reduced to allow more time for learning. We have to be honest as to how much we really need.

Other men wake up really early and attend shiurim at 4:30 AM and 5:30 AM before the first morning minyan.

My husband continues to learn with Rabbi Avigdor Miller even though Rav Miller was niftar more than eight years ago. He has a whole box of tapes from Rabbi Miller’s Gemara lectures. My husband puts a tape in the tape recorder, plugs in the earphones, takes out his Gemara and his thin pencil, and learns with his beloved Rebbe once again. This can be done at any time of day or night, even on lunch hour or while riding on commuter transit.

Don’t forget that after 120 years, the Aibershter asks us, “Were you kovaya ittim (did you make regular time periods for Torah study)?” The question is not whether we learned Shas a dozen times, it’s whether we cleared our busy schedules and appointment calendars and set aside regular periods in our lives for learning Torah.

Here are some examples:

1) Learning Torah
2) Parnasa
3) Community service (chevra kadisha, visiting sick, preparing for guests, etc.)
4) Teaching ones children
5) Tefillah
6) You name it

Nathan, perhaps you can apply Rabbi Yisroel Salanter’s answer to the question of:

“I only have 10 minutes to learn, what should I learn?”,

to which he replied:

“Learn mussar (character development) and then you’ll find that you have more the 10 minutes. to learn.”

The reality is that many/most people face this problem and a possible path to a solution is:

1) Work on internalizing the belief that Torah learning is the root of all our spiritual growth

2) Realize that your Torah learning is the must valuable activity you can perform

3) Gradually work more Torah learning and deeper Torah learning into your schedule

I do commute, work late Mon-Thurs, and do the other activities you mentioned, but have time at night to study Torah. Not the deepest study, but study it is. Grab what you can when you can! If you commute and are not driving, that time can also be put to use. Some people are also able to play Torah study or lecture tapes while driving, but this could be an unsafe distraction for some.

Between work, commuting time. prayer times, shopping, paying bills, laundry, cooking, there is little time and even less energy to study Torah.

Undoubtedly, her dictum was that the attainment in learning was proportional to the ‘brain pain’ invested.

FYI: the verb form of ameilus is “ameil,” as in “We need to be ameil baTorah…”