Elevate your screen time

A listener shares a way for making easy fun more meaningful

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is about how to make screen time more meaningful.
While people claim to be busier than ever, time diary
studies find that people still manage to log copious screen time.

(00:27):
It's understandable. There are a lot of shows out there,
and streaming services make it possible to watch whatever you want,
whenever you want. Adding the temptation of online headlines and
social media, and it's easy to see how screen time
can consume the bulk of our leisure hours. That's not
a problem in and of itself. It's just that many

(00:49):
people feel that screen time is not particularly meaningful or rejuvenating.
We do it because it's there, and so these hours
pass mindlessly. But that's not the case for everyone. I
recently got a note from a Before Breakfast listener named Amy,
who had managed to massively upgrade her screen time. Amy

(01:11):
said that she and her husband both listened to Before Breakfast,
and they'd figured out a way to mix ideas from
previous episodes on writing a list of one hundred dreams
and planning something fun for Sunday night. She writes that
we compiled a list of the fifty all time best movies,
a mix of classic and newer, and watched them together

(01:32):
on Sunday evenings. We have fun picking out which movie
we're going to watch next. We play on fun snacks
and drinks like nachos and Margarita's, and get the kids
to bed on time. She notes that it is a
fun way to end our weekend, and we are loving
intentionally watching more movies instead of TV, especially older movies

(01:53):
that we would otherwise never watch, like King Kong, Rear Window,
and Twelve Angry Men. We also like the feeling of
crossing them off the list. She writes that this project
has made our Sunday nights feel much more fun, purposeful,
and a better chance to connect. I love Amy's idea.

(02:14):
Rather than just zonking out on the couch on Sunday
night watching whatever is there, she and her husband are
now spending this time intentionally. They're becoming movie experts, and
by seeing the best of what's out there, they're raising
their esthetics standards in life. How great is that? Best
of all, it's a project basically anyone can emulate. There

(02:37):
are plenty of books and online lists of the best
movies of all time, and you can use these to
make your own list, or if you'd like to do
this with TV shows, you could find a list of
some of the best shows of all time. Thanks to
streaming services. You could likely work your way through some
of these, reading or commentaries and histories. As you do.

(02:57):
It turns something mindless in to something sort of cerebral.
Amy's idea also reminded me that we can elevate all
our screen time if we choose to, and this is
something I'm definitely working on in my life. I confess
that I spend a fair amount of time on Instagram.
I also love photos of amazing interior and landscape design,

(03:21):
so I consciously added a number of accounts that show
the best of what's being done in those fields. Now,
when I am essentially killing time, I'm highly likely to
see at least one example of something that is stunningly
creative and beautiful. That's a win. So today, think about

(03:41):
the way you use screens and how you spend this time.
How could you elevate these choices from something mindless to
something mindful. What kind of project could you and your
family create to focus on the best rather than what's
just there. We could all probably spend less time on screens,

(04:02):
but it's really a win when we spend whatever time
we do devote to this activity in the best way possible.
So have you elevated your screen time? Please let me
know at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Hey everybody,

(04:30):
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
that's b the number four than Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at iHeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is

(04:53):
spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I
look forward to staying in touch. MM. Before Breakfast is
a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
I Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H