How not to become a couch potato

A simple rule makes screen time more intentional

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is that, if you want to avoid mindless screen time,
make a rule for yourself that you don't turn on

(00:23):
the TV unless there is a particular show or movie
that you plan to watch. Like another tip this week,
today's tip comes from Adam Grant, a professor at Penn's
Wharton School. In an interview with former Surgeon General Vvick Murphy,
Grant said he has a rule for himself that he

(00:44):
doesn't turn on the TV unless he already knows what
he wants to watch. I like this rule for a
few reasons. It has the obvious effect of reducing mindless
TV consumption, but a secondary plus is that it's not
that hard to follow. You don't have to exercise strict
self control by cutting TV from your life. You don't

(01:07):
have to pledge not to watch TV until you've done
something else or observe particular screen time limits. You are
just deciding to watch something specific before you turn on
the TV. Practically speaking, this rule isn't all that limiting.
You could decide to watch, say, one episode of Hometown
and then wind up watching hours of it. Streaming services

(01:31):
are quite slick and the way one episode ends and
another begins seamlessly before you even realize the prior episode
was over. But hopefully, rather than watching hours and hours,
this rule will nudge you to consider what TV you
actually want to take in and curate your viewing. The
TV won't just be playing in the background well you

(01:52):
zone out. Personally, I like to watch live sports, so
if I know there's a Sixers basketball game in the evening,
I might decide to watch that as my evening's entertainment.
On weekends in the fall, my family chooses a specific
football game to watch. Usually it's the Eagles in the
NFL and the Texas A and m Aggie's for college football.

(02:16):
But I tend not to just turn on the TV
and see what games are on. That makes sports watching
feel more like a chosen event. For times when there
is no major event airing live, you could make a
paper or digital list of shows and movies you want
to watch sometime and then consult that list anytime you

(02:37):
would like to watch TV. Before you turn on the TV.
You might decide you want to watch one episode of
The Pride and Prejudice mini series, or The Parking Lot
movie or an episode of Madams Secretary. When whatever you
have planned to watch ends, you turn off the TV
and then reassess whether you want to watch another particular

(02:57):
show or movie or do something else. I am reminded
of how My Best of Both Worlds co host Sarah
Hartunger tracks the media she consumes. For people who like tracking,
it could be helpful to record what they have watched.
Knowing you are going to write down what you watch
creates accountability that may nudge you toward viewing choices that

(03:19):
you will be proud to record and look back on.
But in any case, generally speaking, time vegging out isn't
our most enjoyable, meaningful, or memorable time. So if you
are trying to reduce the time you spend zoning out
in front of the TV, consider following the rule of
not turning on the TV unless you plan to watch

(03:39):
something specific. When we are more intentional about how we
spend our time, including our screen time, we can use
our limited hours in ways that are more enjoyable. Leisure
time is too precious to be totally leisurely about leisure
and actively choosing what to watch is one way to
treat this time with the respect that it deserves. In

(04:04):
the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's
to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening
to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,
you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

(04:33):
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts
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