I used to waste a lot of my days on the Internet. I would literally spend hours a day surfing and doing nothing. My time was spent doing absolutely nothing of value or substance. Some people argue that it’s not a waste of time if you’re enjoying yourself, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t really enjoying myself. I did it because I didn’t know what else I should be doing. It was more of a passive activity to pass the time when I could have been doing something better.
If you want to improve yourself you have to make a conscious effort to quit and be self-aware. Until I was self-aware, I would say I was going to quit only to find myself sitting on the couch at the TV later that day. Here are my tips to kicking the habit and leading a more meaningful life without screens.
- Become aware of what you’re doing. Before you start to taper back your screen time, monitor how long you’re spending watching television or on the computer.
- Set limits and goals for yourself and make them realistic. If you spend an average of 8 hours a day in front of a screen make next week’s goal 7.5 hours.
- Write your plan down and tell someone about it. Make a schedule for yourself and follow it. Do not fall into the pattern of saying “I’ll start tomorrow.” Make a plan and start right away.
- Once you’ve started make sure you don’t replace it with an equally bad habit.
Remember to take baby steps. Going cold turkey won’t lead to long lasting results. Start by taking time to just sit for a minute when you would usually turn on the television. Allow yourself to be present in the moment. Do not fill the time with something else. Use the time to just be.
- If you can use a healthy alternative like reading try that. Don’t latch on to it but use it to fill parts of your days.
- Don’t feel like a failure if you relapse. Get back into it. A bad day doesn’t have to mean a bad week. Make small corrections and believe in yourself.
- When you start getting into the habit of reading make sure that you read things that will make you a better you. Read things that interest you. Don’t read something only because it was suggested to you. If you don’t like what you’re reading you’ll stop and fall back into old habits.
- If you don’t enjoy reading find a different hobby. You don’t have to read to improve yourself. Learn a new skill or join a gym Do something to better yourself.
We are our own worst enemy. We also hold the solution to our own problems. Be honest with yourself and recognize your weaknesses. Don’t be ashamed if it takes some time. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are good habits. Keep at it and you’ll see changes soon enough.