3595: The Single Easiest Habit Change to Improve Your Life Forever by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist

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[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_00] It's a Minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily. The single easiest habit change to improve your life forever. By Joshua Becker of becomingminimalist.com. And I'm Justin Malek, your host and narrator. And we keep this intro nice and minimal for Minimalist Monday, so let's get right to it as we optimize your life.

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_00] The single easiest habit change to improve your life forever. By Joshua Becker of becomingminimalist.com. Life change can be hard. Really hard. There's a reason we make resolutions every January 1st. We desire to grow and improve and live life to the fullest, but getting there takes discipline and work and effort. Too often we fall short of the desired change we desire to embrace.

[00:01:48] [SPEAKER_00] But there is one change available to us that is as significant and beneficial as any of the others. The decision and implementation are really not that difficult. In fact, almost everyone I've ever met that made the change recommends it. Watch less television. Consider the negative effects of television on our lives and the consequences of allowing too much screen time for kids. Number one, it's bad for our health.

[00:02:17] [SPEAKER_00] Numerous studies draw direct parallels between excessive television watching, obesity, and poor eating habits. But we don't need studies to tell us we eat less healthy when watching television. We already know that. Number two, it distracts us from the real people in our lives. The characters on television are not real. They are thought up in an office building and given life on a piece of paper.

[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_00] In contrast, you are surrounded every day by real people living real lives. They need you and you need them. Number three, it influences our spending habits. Corporations do not spend trillions of dollars in advertising hoping to influence you. They spend trillions of dollars because they know eventually they will gain some control over your spending. Number four, it costs us money.

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_00] We spend money to power our television sets, adding the cost of cable and satellite bills, DVDs, internet channel subscriptions, movie subscriptions, peripherals. And we're starting to talk about real money. Number five, it literally causes us less satisfaction with life. According to the Journal of Economic Psychology, TV viewers report lower life satisfaction, higher material aspirations, and more anxiety.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_00] And number six, it results in less intimacy with your spouse. Couples who keep a TV in the bedroom have s**t half as often as those who don't. And those are only the ones we are aware of. When we consider how television influences our worldview, impacts our kids, changes our mood, and demands our mental energy, the downsides of too much television make an almost airtight case to watch less of it.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00] But statistics say we watch television nearly 40 hours per week. 40 hours. That's 2,000 hours we could have spent last year doing anything else, experiencing any other positive habit. Learning, reading, growing, contributing, or pursuing a dream. When I decided to watch less television years ago, I was immediately forced to fill my evenings with something else. We spent more time together as a family.

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_00] We spent more time outdoors. I began to write more. I decided to visit the gym in the evening. I took more control over my life and my decisions. These are all good things, healthy habits. And cutting out television provided opportunity for me to accomplish them. Not only are the negative effects of TV detrimental to our lives, the opportunity cost is great. There are just better, more life-fulfilling things we could be doing with our evenings and weekends.

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_00] And if you agree, here are some helpful tips to reduce your personal television-watching habits. Number one, begin with the decision. Most of the healthy habits that emerge in our lives are the result of an intentional decision. If you agree that your life may improve with this simple change, embrace it. If you don't think it'll improve your life, review the list from earlier. Number two, less can be different than none.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00] Put down your defenses. I'm advocating less, not none. I realize some TV can be educational, and entertainment is not necessarily an exercise in futility. We still have one TV in our house that I watch occasionally, but I do watch far less. And maybe you should too. Number three, limit the number of televisions in your home. One of our first steps in reducing clutter in our home was to take the TV out of the kitchen.

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00] As an unexpected result, I began to discover how much I enjoyed cooking. And removing the TV out of our bedroom reminded me how much I enjoyed... Number four, find a good season to start. While this habit could be incorporated at any time, nice weather outside or a busy season provides a natural opportunity to enact a change, especially if you have family to get on board. Number five, if necessary, go it alone.

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_00] Speaking of family, just because you're personally feeling challenged in this area does not mean they are too. That's okay. Make the change in your own life first. Become the change you would like to see in your family. Number six, be intentional about planning something else. Go for a walk, find a book, join a club, or pick up a new hobby. Intentionally picking something else to do will keep the temptation to a minimum.

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_00] Number seven, try to eliminate specific shows. It may seem easier to make sweeping generalities such as, I'll stop watching TV on Thursday nights. I'll turn off the TV at 10 p.m. Or, I'll cut out all reality shows. But for us, at first, it was easier to pick some specific shows that we could easily live without. When we started to experience the benefits of living life rather than watching it, it was suddenly easier to cut out even more.

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_00] And number eight, know it gets even easier over time. Television is a self-propagating habit. It promotes its own self-interest by boldly declaring the best new show, most watched network, can't miss episode, or game of the year. They play on our fear of missing out. But as you commit to watching less, you are less persuaded by these claims because you see them less. Quickly, you'll realize you aren't really missing that much anyway.

[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_00] Life change can be hard, but some decisions have a greater beneficial impact than others. And watching less television just may be your quickest shortcut to better living right away. It only takes the decision to hit the power-off button. You just listened to the post titled, The Single Easiest Habit Change to Improve Your Life Forever by Joshua Becker of BecomingMinimalist.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:10:51] [SPEAKER_00] And I've definitely gone through my own journey with screen time over the years. For a while, I was definitely watching more TV than I'd like to admit, especially after a long day when it feels so easy to just plop down on the couch and zone out. But like Joshua said, I started noticing how I was affecting different areas of my life. For me, one of the biggest things was time. I'd look up and suddenly three hours had passed that I could have spent doing something else. Exercising, reading, or even just having a conversation with someone.

[00:11:21] [SPEAKER_00] Now, I didn't eliminate TV completely from my life. That's not really practical for me. And Joshua said, that's not what he's suggesting. I still have certain shows I enjoy that spark good conversations with friends and family, or that keep me informed about topics I'm interested in. I think those do add value to my life. So I don't see a reason to cut them out. What I did do was be more intentional about what I watch. I used to just turn on the TV and try to find something, anything to watch.

[00:11:51] [SPEAKER_00] Now I decide ahead of time what specific show I want to see, watch just that, and then turn it off. That small change has made a pretty big difference. So thank you again to Joshua for this one, and thank you for being here. Have a great rest of your day, and I'll catch you tomorrow as usual, where your optimal life awaits. Let's get started.