A media diet it becomes essential if you find yourself short of time and cannot maintain concentration for long.
In this article we will look at how much time you can save with a media diet, how to put it into practice and what benefits you could get.
Time is the most precious thing a man can spend.
Theophrase
You don't know what a is media diet?
Then read on, you may have an enlightenment.
The media diet works just like a normal food diet but which works on so-called media, such as TV and social networks.
Have you ever tried to calculate the time you use to watch television or to be on social networks?
Give it a try, you might be surprised.
Once you understand this, you will be persuaded to start your own media diet.
Media diet and time
Just 20 minutes a day wasted wasting time is over 5 days in a year, not to mention an hour or two a day that very easily ends up on Facebook & C.
Now try to answer this question: if you had the chance to live your life up to this moment again, wouldn't you do more?
I bet you answered yes, if so you could start a media diet to regain your time right away and stop wasting it.
Follow a 4-step media diet
# 1 The distraction box
I have not watched television for years now, except for the few minutes of the news during meals and obviously when I am at someone else's house, the reason is obvious: it is a waste of time.
It is enough to quickly scroll through today's television offer to get an idea of ​​how many useless programs are being broadcast.
If you intend to start one media diet, television is a great place to start.
Obviously not everything is to be thrown away, but why look at what is imposed on us at a time decided by others?
Also keep in mind that television is heavily influenced in the type of information it transmits, moreover all channels are subject to the audience rule, the internet world is now the real alternative, watching what you like when you want, with little or in some cases no advertising.
So consider whether to completely eliminate your television and follow the programs that interest you on the web, by doing so you will gain a disproportionate amount of time, TV shouldn't replace more important activities, to start with choose one day a week without TV and see how you feel.
#2 Social Network
A media diet self-respecting must at least partially exclude Social Networks.
These fantastic tools are now an integral part of our lives, for some people they represent a real social life that can no longer be given up.
The importance also in the work is enormous and their incredible potential cannot be denied, however try to limit to the bare minimum their use, and exploit them exclusively for the purpose for which they fulfill e don't let them use you.
You are not obliged to respond immediately to all messages or comments, you must not allow Facebook to dictate the time of your day, dedicate only a part of it and define time windows in which to access your profile.
Internet and Social Networks are capable of sucking up a lot of time, perhaps more than television, if you spend a lot of time on these sites. start your media diet from here.
# 3 Email and Whatsapp
E-mails are now essential for most jobs and for the "online life", but avoid abusing them, don't check your mail account obsessively, decide how often you need to read your mail and stick to your choice.
Again, remember that you don't have to immediately reply to all the e-mails you receive, take your time without letting others manage your time.
Whatsapp deserves a separate discussion since it is gaining ground, one media diet self-respecting also includes elimination from the most useless groups and sucks energy as well as avoiding spasmodically looking at the very important messages.
# 4 What we all have in the house
What I am about to propose to you might seem crazy, but from the point of view of a well-rounded media diet, perhaps it is not: consider the possibility of remove the sofa.
Yes, the sofa, that big, long and comfortable thing, I have always wondered why the sofa - television combination was considered an indispensable element of the furniture, I have never seen its purpose, if not to waste my time.
You sit down for a moment and time flies, you gain weight by eating lying down and waste more time watching television.
If you have to eat you use the table, to sleep and relax you use the bed, to read the desk or a simple chair, the sofa is an unnecessary time-sucking distraction, if you intend to follow a drastic media diet, consider eliminating this element.
If you really have to use the sofa, use it with the spirit of a real media diet: not to watch TV, but to follow the best series, perhaps in English, or TED speeches.
The advantages of following a media diet
After several years of media diet I can safely say that this has significantly changed my habits making me recover a lot of time, personally I have completely removed the television and reduced my time on the social networks that I used the most.
Following a media diet I had several benefits including:
- I reduced the tendency to procrastinate
- I have gained a lot of extra time for myself
- I have learned to manage my time
- I've skimmed my sources of information
- I immediately had a strong feeling of freedom
- I began to devote my energies to more important activities
- I have better understood what my priorities are
As always, adapt these mechanisms to your life, the media diet is a flexible toolFor example, it may be easier for you to cut email and Twitter than television, so adapt and find your own personalized diet.
Considerations on the media diet
These are the first four steps to start a media diet, if you cannot or do not feel like eliminating everything in a flash, you can start gradually by limiting the time spent on Social Networks and in front of the television in the first place.
Print the time table e put it in a place that is always visible, whenever you are tempted to waste time take a look to see how much time you have gained to dedicate to yourself.
The media diet is one of the pillars of personal growth and time management, it is definitely worth trying to follow it for a while.