Getting motivated to turn off the television
A lot of people want to work out, want to be more organized, want to cook, want to go to bed early, and one thing stands in the way. What? The television. For many the television, and the inability to turn it off and do something else keeps them from accomplishing other things they want to do. The following are some tips for getting motivated to turn off the television:
1. Find a friend to work out with or do crafts with, or whatever else it is you want to do. If you find that all you do is sit in front of the television, find a friend to motivate you to do something else. If you have always wanted to make a scrapbook of your kids, invite a girl friend over to scrapbook. Then, when the day gets long, and you get to the time you planned to scrapbook, you won't justify watching television instead because you have someone to scrapbook with. The same holds true for anything else you want to do. If you have a friend to do it with you are much more likely to do it. You won't let your friend down. You will let yourself down. So, get motivated by having an external force that almost does just that, forces you to follow through with doing something, anything, other than watching television.
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2. Look at how it can affect you. If you want to get motivated to turn off the television all you really need to do is look at people who do nothing but watch television, they are usually fat, unhealthy, unhappy, etc. Spending all of your time vegging out in front of the television instead of improving yourself, your mind, your body, etc. is not good for you. It leads to a pretty pathetic life. When you think about it that way you will find motivation to change. You will use television for what it should be used for, a means to get news, and to relax after doing something else more demanding.
3. Look at your health and activity levels. If you need a good motivator to turn off the television just look at how healthy you are. It is hard to be really healthy if you spend a lot of time in front of the television. Also, look at your activity level, it is recommended that you exercise a minimum of thirty minutes each day, and most people complain of having no time, and yet only thirty minutes of television seems like nothing. So, get motivated by looking at the reality of your life, your health, and your fitness.
4. Monitor how much time you spend watching television a day, then ask yourself what better things you could do with that time. If you keep a journal or log of your television time you will likely be motivated to spend less time in front of the television. Why? Because the average person spends almost three hours in front of the TV a day. You could get your whole house clean in three hours, meals made for an entire week, a partial day of work over, etc. Time is valuable, and wasting it on television and commercials does not seem like a waste until you actually calculate the hours up. So do it, it will motivate you to turn off the television.
5. Find something else that is enjoyable to do. Most people watch television because they can't think of anything else they would rather do. But, if you find something else, like playing a fun game, or taking your kids to the park, or whatever it may be for you, you will be far more motivated to turn off the television, and replace it with this activity.
