Breaking Addictive and Time Wasting Behaviors

T.V. can be such a habitual and addictive behavior. The first thing I do in the morning is turn on the TV. Hey, I want to know what the weather will be like for the day. But somehow the weather report turns into a traffic report, which turns into Good Morning America, which turns into Teletubbies and Sesame Street for the boys. I don't know how this has happened, but I just spent 3 or 4 hours engaged in true nothingness. Of course, I do have to add that I am a mom and a queen in the arena of multitasking. That however, is besides the point. The point is how am I supposed to be working at home and attaining all my goals if the TV is on.

Bottom line: TV is stressing me out. I have so much that I want to accomplish in a day, but at the end of the day I still see that I have much more to do. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are the worst now, because American Idol is on. Really, I'm at the point where I really need to turn it off. I mean A.I. jeopardizes about 6 hours a week of many people's lives.

To think, instead of dreaming about being the people on TV, I could turn off the TV and become the star of my own life. I'm sure many people may read this and have it all figured out. But, most of us don't use our time wisely and wonder why we can't have a certain type of life.

So here is my plan to curb TV Time (Oh yes, this also includes aimlessly playing on the Internet)
#1: Plan TV time. I will choose what shows I'd like to watch during the week and watch only those shows.

#2: Limit TV Time: Duh! Some of you maybe thinking, well isn't that what this is all about. Absolutely! But, I need to think about this. How many hours in a week will I give away to TV? If I watch the morning news, Teletubbies, Sesame Street, Oprah, and American Idol, that is 5 1/2 hours of TV a day or 27 1/2 hours of TV a week. Wow! That's a part time job. Imagine how much money I could make. So I would like to start easy and limit my TV time to 10 hours a week. Now, you may be thinking that is still a lot, but change is not always easy and realistic goals are key to successfully weening yourself off of TV.

#3: Go on a TV Fast: "But you just said, set realistic goals, Mrs. Sibbs." I know what I said, but for those who would like to go cold turkey or for those daring souls, stop watching TV altogether for one week and see what changes take place. Perhaps you'll get a few home projects complete, or finish a book or begin to interact more with the people in your life. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

I know I will definitely be making a change. I'll let you know how it goes.