Did you know that the average American watches more than 4 hours of television per day? We wake up, work our job, come home, and turn on the tube until we have to do it all over again tomorrow. Where does the time go? You now know where…4 hours a day! Many of us probably didn’t even realize we had this problem.
When I made the decision to move to Utah to pursue my dreams and learn a new business, my roommate and I decided not to have a television in the house. We didn’t think much about it; it seemed like a small and mostly meaningless decision at the time. Looking back I can’t believe how this impacted us.
First off, we didn’t die! Not only that, but some other crazy things happened too. We would sit around and talk to each other; we would talk about life, goals, and dreams as there was no device to distract us. We would interact like humans are supposed to. We went to the gym more, explored more, and procrastinated less because there wasn’t a TV to distract us. I read over 40 books that year. It was amazing what we accomplished without that little device calling us, saying “let that wait until tomorrow, I can entertain you now”.
I am not saying the television is evil. I love watching TV. That was my problem and why it was important to get rid of it. Not having it was the best medicine. Television is not only a distraction, but proven to help you gain weight with inactivity, and spend more money because you are subjected to a ton of advertisements.
Let’s look deeper at the television and your time. Remember, some things seem small, but can lead to big problems. If you are watching more than 4 hours per day of television that is over 28 hours per week. That means you watch the equivalent of 2 months of non-stop TV a year. If the average life expectancy is 78 years old, you are watching around 15 years of television in your lifetime. Fifteen years! That is excluding the time you play video games, scroll social media, and go to the movie theater. That is a large chunk of your life in front of the tube!
I have heard TV referred to as the “electronic time suck” and if you own a business the “electronic income reducer”. Can you imagine what you could do with an extra 4 hours a day put towards your goals? An extra 28 hours a week put towards health, business, or learning a new skill? How about an extra 2 months a year to use? That is like you getting 14 months compared to the average loser who only gets 12. Picture yourself later in life thinking about all the time you wasted when you could have another decade of the world to experience. This was eye opening for me.
I would suggest cutting back on your TV time. If you are like me you have difficulty with moderation then I have one thing to say…
SELL THE TV!
You want more money…sell the TV! Don’t have time…sell the TV! Want a better family life…sell the TV.
Get the picture? It can get even better if you sell the game systems, DVDs, and other devices. You will add money to your bank account and years on your life. If you can’t part with your beloved TV, then please stop saying you don’t have enough time for other things. It is lying and no one likes a liar.
The first step is admitting you have a problem. Sell your TV and start living more!
Chris Lengle Productions 