WEBVTT - How not to become a couch potato

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that, if you want to avoid mindless screen time,

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<v Speaker 1>make a rule for yourself that you don't turn on

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<v Speaker 1>the TV unless there is a particular show or movie

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<v Speaker 1>that you plan to watch. Like another tip this week,

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<v Speaker 1>today's tip comes from Adam Grant, a professor at Penn's

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<v Speaker 1>Wharton School. In an interview with former Surgeon General Vvick Murphy,

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<v Speaker 1>Grant said he has a rule for himself that he

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't turn on the TV unless he already knows what

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<v Speaker 1>he wants to watch. I like this rule for a

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<v Speaker 1>few reasons. It has the obvious effect of reducing mindless

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<v Speaker 1>TV consumption, but a secondary plus is that it's not

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<v Speaker 1>that hard to follow. You don't have to exercise strict

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<v Speaker 1>self control by cutting TV from your life. You don't

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<v Speaker 1>have to pledge not to watch TV until you've done

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<v Speaker 1>something else or observe particular screen time limits. You are

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<v Speaker 1>just deciding to watch something specific before you turn on

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<v Speaker 1>the TV. Practically speaking, this rule isn't all that limiting.

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<v Speaker 1>You could decide to watch, say, one episode of Hometown

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<v Speaker 1>and then wind up watching hours of it. Streaming services

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<v Speaker 1>are quite slick and the way one episode ends and

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<v Speaker 1>another begins seamlessly before you even realize the prior episode

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<v Speaker 1>was over. But hopefully, rather than watching hours and hours,

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<v Speaker 1>this rule will nudge you to consider what TV you

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<v Speaker 1>actually want to take in and curate your viewing. The

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<v Speaker 1>TV won't just be playing in the background well you

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<v Speaker 1>zone out. Personally, I like to watch live sports, so

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<v Speaker 1>if I know there's a Sixers basketball game in the evening,

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<v Speaker 1>I might decide to watch that as my evening's entertainment.

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<v Speaker 1>On weekends in the fall, my family chooses a specific

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<v Speaker 1>football game to watch. Usually it's the Eagles in the

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<v Speaker 1>NFL and the Texas A and m Aggie's for college football.

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<v Speaker 1>But I tend not to just turn on the TV

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<v Speaker 1>and see what games are on. That makes sports watching

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<v Speaker 1>feel more like a chosen event. For times when there

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<v Speaker 1>is no major event airing live, you could make a

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<v Speaker 1>paper or digital list of shows and movies you want

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<v Speaker 1>to watch sometime and then consult that list anytime you

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<v Speaker 1>would like to watch TV. Before you turn on the TV.

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<v Speaker 1>You might decide you want to watch one episode of

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<v Speaker 1>The Pride and Prejudice mini series, or The Parking Lot

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<v Speaker 1>movie or an episode of Madams Secretary. When whatever you

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<v Speaker 1>have planned to watch ends, you turn off the TV

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<v Speaker 1>and then reassess whether you want to watch another particular

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<v Speaker 1>show or movie or do something else. I am reminded

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<v Speaker 1>of how My Best of Both Worlds co host Sarah

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<v Speaker 1>Hartunger tracks the media she consumes. For people who like tracking,

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<v Speaker 1>it could be helpful to record what they have watched.

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<v Speaker 1>Knowing you are going to write down what you watch

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<v Speaker 1>creates accountability that may nudge you toward viewing choices that

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<v Speaker 1>you will be proud to record and look back on.

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<v Speaker 1>But in any case, generally speaking, time vegging out isn't

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<v Speaker 1>our most enjoyable, meaningful, or memorable time. So if you

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<v Speaker 1>are trying to reduce the time you spend zoning out

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<v Speaker 1>in front of the TV, consider following the rule of

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<v Speaker 1>not turning on the TV unless you plan to watch

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<v Speaker 1>something specific. When we are more intentional about how we

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<v Speaker 1>spend our time, including our screen time, we can use

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<v Speaker 1>our limited hours in ways that are more enjoyable. Leisure

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<v Speaker 1>time is too precious to be totally leisurely about leisure

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<v Speaker 1>and actively choosing what to watch is one way to

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<v Speaker 1>treat this time with the respect that it deserves. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening

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<v Speaker 1>to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

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<v Speaker 1>you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

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<v Speaker 1>wherever you listen to your favorite shows.