Pinterest is a beautiful thing. Thanks to the website, I make much more of my family’s food from scratch, I’ve discovered dozens of favorite new recipes, and the traffic on my own blog has seen a steady increase.

If I’m being honest, though, Pinterest can also be a major time suck. Something about it just draws me in, and I often find myself spending twenty minutes browsing when I only logged in to double check a recipe.

I might have to physically pull myself away sometimes, but when I do allow myself time to hang out on Pinterest, the following are the things I do to maximize my time spent there.

1. Look before you pin

Before pinning a new page, investigate the link. The reason for this is two-fold. First, it’s good to know that the link works. How frustrating is it to pin a mouthwatering new food photo, only to go back later and realize that the pin leads to a “page not found” message? Or to a photo that leads nowhere? Save yourself the heartache.

Second, by checking out the link you can decide if the page is right for you. If it’s a food recipe that includes ingredients your family doesn’t eat, or a DIY that’s too complicated for your skill level, you can skip pinning it. Sure, this takes a little extra time up front, but it will save you from wasting time later, and from counting on a pin that will ultimately be useless.

2. Pin to multiple boards

When you find something you want to pin, go ahead and pin it to every relevant board. For instance, I used to search and search for the recipe every single time I made crockpot refried beans. Was it on my homemade products board? My food board? My slow cooker board? Finally, I wised up and pinned it to every place I might go looking for it.

3. Make a board for your favorites

My food board has hundreds of pins, and that doesn’t count my separate boards for desserts, snacks and sides, or breads. Finally, I decided to create a board for recipes I’ve already made and loved. It’s the board I refer to most frequently when planning our monthly menus. I still use all my other food-related boards for inspiration, but now I have a board that I can go to for recipes I already know we like.

Do you have any tips for avoiding being sucked into the black hole that is Pinterest?