I dedicate a small window to HN each day to keep up. It gives context to my day as a software developer. New malicious backdoor in NPM I need to know about? That's something I need to know going forward. With HN, I see what's on my plate, read it, and move on. It's not an addiction (though for some it is).

I also avoid political stuff. Very easy to spot something that devolves into thinly veiled political rants, no matter how 'moderated' it is, things slip through the cracks.