How I Cut My TV Time In Half | Volume 17

Motivation is overrated.

We tend to think our habits are a byproduct of our hard work, motivation and talent.

Many times, your environment actually matters more.

Just as your city acts as a whisper – quietly guiding your actions, attitudes and identity – your physical environment also shapes your behavior – it just speaks even louder.

Yes – hard work, motivation and talent are important. But over time, these traits tend to get overpowered by the environment around you.

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For instance, I watch at least 50% less TV than I did six months ago.

I read twice as much and write, well as a rough estimate, like 1000x more.

The secret? I moved my TV out of my room*.

Seriously. That’s pretty much it. Yes, I was motivated to write more. But I had been motivated to write more many times before. Nothing ever changed.

Change your environment. Change your behavior.

I’m not the most disciplined person, I’ll admit. So, I changed the environment around me.

No TV in my room? Can’t watch it. Two books on my nightstand? I guess I should read one. A weekly blog? Oh shit, I better keep reading or else I’m going to run out of things to write about.

What looks like discipline is often just an environment carefully designed to encourage certain behaviors. Conversely, what looks like a lack of discipline is often just the result of a poor environment.

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James Clear wrote, “before you try to increase your willpower, try to decrease the friction in your environment.”

As Richard Thalen and Cass Sunstein also pointed out in their book Nudge, the best way to change behavior is to target the broader context rather than the individual mind – making it easier for people to do what they already want to do.

Want to watch less TV? Move it out of your room.

Want to eat less? Throw out the junk food so you can’t eat it.

Want to take it a step further? Use a smaller plate.

Dinner plates in the U.S. have gotten 40% bigger in the last 100 years. The problem? When you have a larger plate, you take more food.

Research confirms this.

Stop overestimating your own willpower. Make it easier to do what you already know you should be doing.

Change your environment. Change your behavior.

*I’m no angel – I initially moved my TV out of my room in September so I could watch football on my rooftop. But then, after noticing the impact it had on everything else, I kept it up there.