Resolution 16: Reducing my Screen Time

Reducing my Screen Time

I suppose it is ironic that I am writing this using my computer...this blog post that is accessible only via a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Nevertheless, my goal this week is to decrease my screen time, particularly any screen usage outside of the work day. 

In preparing my students for MCA testing, I go over some basic testing tips. One of those tips: turning off the t.v./computer/cellphone a few hours before bed to ensure a better night of rest. (The back-lit screen hampers deep sleep in many, according to U.S. News.) I teach them this, yet often I am watching t.v. until the moment I crawl beneath the covers (sometimes, I even watch it while beneath the covers). Not only can too much screen time decrease the quality of sleep, but according to ABC News it can also "[up one's] risk of heart attack and stroke by 113 percent and the risk of death by any cause by nearly 50 percent compared to those who spend less than two hours daily in screen play--regardless of whether or not they also work out," as opposed to the typical four hours of non-work screen time a day that is average for most Americans. When adding all this together, it makes me realize that it is time for me to follow my own advice and turn the t.v. off earlier each day.


For those of you who know me well, you know how difficult this will prove for me. This goal is being set by me after all: me, the girl who refers to her Entertainment Weekly as Newsweek, because it is the only news I really care fully about. Point blank: I am a t.v. and movie junkie. Every week I rush to get home in time to watch so many shows (or DVR them if getting home is not possible)--Desperate Housewives, Once Upon A Time, Mad Men, Smash, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Switched at Birth, Glee, Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries, Mike & Molly, New Girl, Happy Endings, any cheesy film on the Halmark channel or IFC, House Hunters, Survivor, Jane By Design...and I know I am missing a bunch. So, with that, I must finish this entry, seeing as I have plans to be in bed by 10:30 and I am writing this using my back-lit laptop.






As for last week's goal: I did remarkably well. Even on tightly scheduled days I was able to either head home to a home-cooked meal made by Scott or I shared an entree when out to eat. Only on Thursday, the day of the Section 1AA speech meet did I cave, having a small Shamrock Shake during our team's traditional stop at McDonald's. All other choices were ones I was proud of. Overall, I feel good about the past week.