After a long day at work, it feels good to relax and unwind. For most, unwinding usually takes the form of television watching, playing video games, or surfing the internet. While these activities may initially reduce the day’s stress, they offer little relief. Instead, they either allow us to mull over disquieting moments of our day or infuse us with a lethargy that reduces our productivity. Take television for example, after the first 30 minutes of sitting to watch a program, I begin to feel a lot more tired than when I first sat down. My emotions also begin to reflect whatever is on the screen. If the news is sad, I am sad; if dramatic, I am wired. Yet, I am too tired to get up and uplift my mood.

Problems emanating from screen-sucking – whether television, internet or cell phone – include glorification of drama, peddling of negative attitudes and crassness, salty language, rapid pacing, pervasive negative culture, promotion of a lazy attitude towards life, work, and relationships. These electronic devices allow you to spend your time watching other people do what they love to do and less time and interest pursuing your own dreams. You become so tuned in to everyone’s business and tuned out to your own.

If you want to be motivated to live your life to the fullest:
1. Limit your screen sucking by choosing how many hours you will spend surfing the web, playing video games, or watching television.
2. Choose carefully what you will view or watch. Design your viewing to support your dreams. For example, you could watch shows that emphasize creativity if you are a designer or shows on the market industry if you are an entrepreneur.
3. Listen to the news only once. You don’t need to memorize it to understand the world around you.
4. Tune off – set a time when you turn off everything electronic and tune in to your own thoughts and life.
5. Write down your thoughts, dreams, and goals as you tune in to you. Make these your headlines.