i check ns every five minutes when i'm on the computer, unless i'm gaming, or animating or programming a game, or watching a movie(but if the movie hasn't loaded fast enough and stops for a few min. i'll check ns). i usually spend about 1-2 hours on ns a day, which leaves plenty of time to get on with my life.
i tone it down quite a bit in the winter though because i'm too busy skiing to read about skiing.