Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is about how to make screen time more meaningful.
Speaker 1: While people claim to be busier than ever, time diary
Speaker 1: studies find that people still manage to log copious screen time.
Speaker 1: It's understandable. There are a lot of shows out there,
Speaker 1: and streaming services make it possible to watch whatever you want,
Speaker 1: whenever you want. Adding the temptation of online headlines and
Speaker 1: social media, and it's easy to see how screen time
Speaker 1: can consume the bulk of our leisure hours. That's not
Speaker 1: a problem in and of itself. It's just that many
Speaker 1: people feel that screen time is not particularly meaningful or rejuvenating.
Speaker 1: We do it because it's there, and so these hours
Speaker 1: pass mindlessly. But that's not the case for everyone. I
Speaker 1: recently got a note from a Before Breakfast listener named Amy,
Speaker 1: who had managed to massively upgrade her screen time. Amy
Speaker 1: said that she and her husband both listened to Before Breakfast,
Speaker 1: and they'd figured out a way to mix ideas from
Speaker 1: previous episodes on writing a list of one hundred dreams
Speaker 1: and planning something fun for Sunday night. She writes that
Speaker 1: we compiled a list of the fifty all time best movies,
Speaker 1: a mix of classic and newer, and watched them together
Speaker 1: on Sunday evenings. We have fun picking out which movie
Speaker 1: we're going to watch next. We play on fun snacks
Speaker 1: and drinks like nachos and Margarita's, and get the kids
Speaker 1: to bed on time. She notes that it is a
Speaker 1: fun way to end our weekend, and we are loving
Speaker 1: intentionally watching more movies instead of TV, especially older movies
Speaker 1: that we would otherwise never watch, like King Kong, Rear Window,
Speaker 1: and Twelve Angry Men. We also like the feeling of
Speaker 1: crossing them off the list. She writes that this project
Speaker 1: has made our Sunday nights feel much more fun, purposeful,
Speaker 1: and a better chance to connect. I love Amy's idea.
Speaker 1: Rather than just zonking out on the couch on Sunday
Speaker 1: night watching whatever is there, she and her husband are
Speaker 1: now spending this time intentionally. They're becoming movie experts, and
Speaker 1: by seeing the best of what's out there, they're raising
Speaker 1: their esthetics standards in life. How great is that? Best
Speaker 1: of all, it's a project basically anyone can emulate. There
Speaker 1: are plenty of books and online lists of the best
Speaker 1: movies of all time, and you can use these to
Speaker 1: make your own list, or if you'd like to do
Speaker 1: this with TV shows, you could find a list of
Speaker 1: some of the best shows of all time. Thanks to
Speaker 1: streaming services. You could likely work your way through some
Speaker 1: of these, reading or commentaries and histories. As you do.
Speaker 1: It turns something mindless in to something sort of cerebral.
Speaker 1: Amy's idea also reminded me that we can elevate all
Speaker 1: our screen time if we choose to, and this is
Speaker 1: something I'm definitely working on in my life. I confess
Speaker 1: that I spend a fair amount of time on Instagram.
Speaker 1: I also love photos of amazing interior and landscape design,
Speaker 1: so I consciously added a number of accounts that show
Speaker 1: the best of what's being done in those fields. Now,
Speaker 1: when I am essentially killing time, I'm highly likely to
Speaker 1: see at least one example of something that is stunningly
Speaker 1: creative and beautiful. That's a win. So today, think about
Speaker 1: the way you use screens and how you spend this time.
Speaker 1: How could you elevate these choices from something mindless to
Speaker 1: something mindful. What kind of project could you and your
Speaker 1: family create to focus on the best rather than what's
Speaker 1: just there. We could all probably spend less time on screens,
Speaker 1: but it's really a win when we spend whatever time
Speaker 1: we do devote to this activity in the best way possible.
Speaker 1: So have you elevated your screen time? Please let me
Speaker 1: know at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
Speaker 1: that's b the number four than Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at iHeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. MM. Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H