Stop Watching Start Living

I hear a lot of crazy remarks about my lifestyle.  People love to MSU – Make Stuff Up. These same people who make up stuff about how I get things done also make up stuff about why they can’t get more done.  What kind of stuff am I talking about?  Reading, writing, working out, volunteering, you know the kind of stuff that has the potential to make you more successful and more fulfilled.

I have been subject to lots of imaginary made up stuff about how I can possibly do everything I do in a day: work, kids, life, running…  I was talking to someone this week who told me that they shared with other people (really?) that my mom lived with me and took care of the kids, errands, etc.  Crazy!!! 

There is one very easy secret to how I get it done.  Once revealed you will see how very easy it is for you to get more done. 

It won’t be popular with Disney, Lowe’s, Time Warner and the like.  Nope, but it is effective at facilitating a more rewarding and fulfilled lifestyle.

Here’s the secret.  I don’t watch TV.  OK, I watch a little TV.  Very little, but I don’t have a regular regimen of can’t miss TV.

Complete this chart of your favorite TV shows watched regularly.  Include those you record and watch later.  If there isn’t enough room on this chart for all of your favorite shows then here’s some news for you:  CNNreports on TV watching.

	SHOW	LENGTH (minutes)	SHOW	LENGTH (minutes)	SHOW	LENGTH (minutes)	TOTAL TIME (minutes)
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Total time spent watching TV each week

If you have filled in even one box on the above chart then you can say you have a habit.  A habit is defined as a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.  Since habits are hard to give up and even harder to start then we rather think of replacing one habit with another.  If we can shift our habits from those that are less productive to those that can be more fruitful then we can find more success and fulfillment.

30 minutes watching TV = 35 calories burned

30 minutes walking briskly = 135 calories burned

30 minutes running a 10 minute mile = 300 calories burned

Calories needed to lose 1 pound about 3,500 calories burned

You can watch 3,000 minutes of TV to burn enough calories to lose 1 pound, if you can avoid the TV munchies, or you can walk briskly for 780 minutes, or run for 350 minutes.  Heck, you can dance around your living room and burn 240 calories every 30 minutes.

Replace just 30 minutes of TV daily with 30 minutes of reading and you can easily put away a book or two a month.  I’m not talking Harlequin or E L James.  That’s replacing junk with junk.  Read something inspirational, motivational, or educational.  Here’s a great resource that can get you on your way to earning your PersonalMBA .

Do more with less time.  I found a VolunteerGuide that has recommendations for you to make a difference in just 15 minutes.

Here’s a great Ted Talk on success.