Entertainment is the world’s substitute for joy.
An Age Of Distractions
Gone are the days of houses having a “study”.
Rare is the house with a dedicated “library” in it.
If a home has books in it, they’re probably centralized in one room where they sit more as decorations rather than a reference section.
But if there’s a room in a modern home without a television, its probably because there isn’t space, the room isn’t used much, or it can’t be afforded.
- We have games in our pockets at all times
- Social Media is simply a touch away (multiple forms)
- Entertainment is so abundant we have to really focus on which type we want to subscribe to.
But to steal a quote that I absolutely love and remind myself of daily…
“Entertainment is the world’s substitute for joy.”
Before we go on, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read my posts. Please consider liking the post and commenting below. It really helps to boost my site and shows Google that it has interest.
The Bandwidth Issue
One of the reasons entertainment is such an issue is that it our minds can only work on retaining and considering so much at a time.
It’s similar to your home internet. If you’re the only one using it, it probably works great and you have no issues doing whatever you want. But…
- Your spouse turns on a streaming service in another room
- Your son starts playing xbox online
- Your daughter starts watching YouTube in her bedroom
- You have a large download working on your computer upstairs
Suddenly, your tv screen starts bogging down and a little loading wheel appears.
You’ve used up your bandwidth because there’s just too much information funneling through.
This is what happens with our brains if we don’t focus and be intentional with what we take in.
Ever been really stressed and trying to think through a problem and realize someone’s been talking to you without you hearing a word?
You’ve reached your bandwidth limit.
How To Make More Room
Unlike internet, however, we don’t get to pay an extra $19.99 per month for more speed.
There may be more ways to grow your mental bandwidth than this but these are the two ways I’ve come across that make sense.
- Removing distractions to free up mental space
- Breaking bad habits and creating new ones
Sometimes these two overlap. Bad habits can often be huge distractions.
Removing Distractions
When trying to learn something new or form a good habit, a great idea is to remove things that take away from it.
For instance, if your goal is to meditate, you’ll probably have a better chance for success if there isn’t a tv on in the room.
If you’re wanting to have quiet time to reflect on your day or plan, you may not want to have your phone sitting in front of you.
It isn’t always easy, but when you’re ready to learn you may want to consider having a quiet area with no distractions JUST for when you’re learning.
As the gist of “The 5 AM Club” teaches, early mornings are generally more quiet and peaceful and ideal for learning and accomplishing difficult tasks.
After all, no one else is awake to distract you.
Breaking Bad Habits
Reading the book “Atomic Habits” shed a light on how to break bad habits.
First, associate the habit with negativity. Purposefully think about what this habit is stealing from you.
This may even require writing yourself a note that you read each time you’re about to do said habit.
About to smoke? Have a note with your cigarettes that lists the negative side effects.
Going to the fridge or pantry for another snack? Have a not on the door reminding you of how many calories you’re trying to cut.
Some even go so far as to connect the bad habit to a “punishment”.
- Going to smoke? A cigarette costs you 10 push ups.
- Going to eat a snack? You can, but you have to walk a mile before bed tonight.
- Going to watch tv or social media? Fine… but you’ll have to read a chapter from a helpful book before turning off the light.
Depending on your habits and your hatred for the chosen punishment, you may find yourself skipping out on the time killers.
Focusing On The Good
This leads us to filling in these new holes with good habits.
I’m sure that you could form a list of a dozen things you “wish” you did regularly.
- Work out/Exercise
- Make healthier food choices
- Read beneficial books
- Study
- Save money
- Plan (activities and meals)
- Waking up earlier
But, if you’re not careful, you’ll start too many and overload your bandwidth again.
Rather than attempting many and failing all, lets choose one to focus on and concentrate fire on that.
Don’t worry… the others will come in soon enough.
Trigger, Reaction, Reward, Repetition
I’ll admit, the 5am club is not in my top 10 list. I’m just not a fan of the way it was written. But I’ll review it later.
I DID, however, like this circular formula.
Let’s take Exercise to begin with. For your formula to work, you have to have a trigger to start it, you must react to that trigger, there should be a reward for it and then you work to repeat this formula.
For this example, lets say you really enjoy taking an hour or two each night and watching tv.
- Trigger – My alarm goes off…
- Reaction – I will get up, start some coffee, and do my exercises
- Reward – Since I did my exercises, I now give myself permission to enjoy my tv time.
- Repetition – Continue forcing your way through this to earn your reward day after day.
A little self control is important here.
If you fail to get up and exercise, yet still reward yourself with tv, this plan will never work.
Rather, force yourself to miss the tv for the night so your trigger the next morning will have some enforcement behind it.
Find the formula for each thing you want to do better and regularly, and you’ll turn those things into habits in no time. Now…
From “Forced” to “Habit”
It takes approximately 20 days for your body to form the first stage of a habit. Waking up far earlier than normal will set your internal clock to make it a habit.
Before long, if you were forcing yourself to get up at 6 every morning, you’ll start waking up at 6 without an alarm.
However, you’re looking at more like 60 days before this becomes as habitual as flipping on a light switch when you walk into a room.
That is when your brain starts operating this new habit as a “background” activity. Something going on behind the scenes that you don’t even think about.
It’s no longer taking up any bandwidth because it’s become habitual and it just happens.
Like tying your shoes, you probably don’t have to think about each individual step. You probably don’t say a nursery rhyme while tying the laces to help you remember.
So, too, will your new habit work. You won’t think about waking up and exercising… you just will.
Habitual Growth
Once you reach the point where your new good behavior is habitual, the growth can continue.
Look at your list of things you want to achieve.
Since your first goal is no longer taking up any bandwidth (it just happens automatically) you can choose another goal and start the process over.
Choose your goal, insert it into the formula, and get to work. Your first choice continues on and your new choice begins to find its place in your day.
Keep this up and you’ll soon find yourself reshaping your life into the life you’ve always wanted it to be.
Thank you for reading. If you’d like see the program that helped get me moving in the right direction, check out this article below.
Why 75 Hard?
Please consider liking this post if you gained anything from it. Comment below, subscribe and share my blog with others around you.
It means more to us than you could know.
Thank you.
Pardon Our Progress 
Leave a comment