Add Years to Your Life by Cutting Some Television

“I just didn’t have time.”

How many times have people not met their goals and this has been the reason they gave? I have no doubt some people say this after having been perfect planners, wonderful time managers and great prioritizers. However, a great many people utter this phrase without actually looking at how they really used their time.

If you have ever said this, let me challenge you with one question. How much time did you spend this week watching television?

Did you watch one hour per night? Two? Three? 

I’m sure when you state it as hours per week, it doesn’t seem like much. However, if you watch merely one hour per night that is 365 hours per year. That’s actually 15 days of tv watching over the year, more than two weeks. What could you do if you added just two weeks to your year? That means if you average two hours per night you could add four weeks to your year by simply cutting out television.

I’m 35. Let’s say my professional life lasts only to 65. I have 30 more years. With 2 hours of television per night, I will spend 912 days of my professional life watching tv. That’s 130 weeks or about 2 1/2 years. What could you get done if you added 2 1/2 years to your life?

I’m sure it is a pipe dream to say we’ll never watch tv or movies again. After all, there is nothing wrong with enjoying some entertainment or recreation. I do, however, simply encourage you before you say you didn’t have time again you first ask how much time you chose to watch tv and see if maybe you couldn’t add a few years to your professional life span by subtracting some time before the plug-in drug.

Just a though.