Screen consumption is a daily habit we often do without realizing it anymore. Time flies by with scrolling and swiping. Watching videos, browsing social media and websites, gaming, video chatting, you name it.
The services we use are made to glue our attention because the more time we spend on a particular service, the more data this service can collect. Especially when products are free, such as those from the big players, we pay with our data. So the longer we stay, the better for the service.
I found numbers between 4 and 7 hours on quick desk research about daily screen consumption. Because of all the different studies and numbers, let's take the lower range of four hours and see how these four hours add up over a year.
Average Screen Consumption
Daily | Yearly | Results in days per year |
4 hrs | 1460 hrs | 60 days |
I Don't Have the Time
This is often a reason people name when it is about starting with a good habit. The problem is that good habits often feel uncomfortable at the moment. Learning a new skill can be daunting—and the feel-good effect of physical exercise also comes after the activity itself. So there is a natural resistance to starting with good habits; when we begin, we often quit and replace them with bad ones.
On the other hand, bad habits often feel very good at the moment, such as zapping through video platforms, eating junk food, and smoking cigarettes—but they leave us with a bad feeling or even hurt us later in life. And it's natural not to think much about later because it feels so good now. I mean, who wants to stop a good-feeling moment?
Are You Stuck in a Shadow Life?
I would love to move to another country, but…
I would love to become an author, but…
I would love to be an artist, but…
I would love to start this side business, but…
I would love to find a partner, but…
I would love to travel, but…
A shadow life is a life many people live, to not act on the one they desire. It's easier to tell ourselves excuses and to stick with bad habits that feel good rather than to overcome resistance and take action.
We aren't taught in school to take risks. We aren't taught to dream. We aren't taught to make plans so we can act on our dreams. We are taught to learn a skill to get a job. Kids are highly creative, but studies show that creativity decreases to a minimum within the first years of schooling.
Now it's so ingrained in our minds that when we dream of a different future, a "but" follows immediately. But I don't have the time.
What Would You Do With 2 Extra Hours per Day?
Imagine cutting your time spent on watching videos, browsing social media, websites, gaming, video chatting, and so forth in half. What would you do with your extra time?
Would you start working on an idea that doesn't let you go? Would you listen to the quiet voice of unfulfilled desires and spend time dreaming, planning, and acting on it? What if you could get rid of the "but"?
Two hours daily can be a lot when we consistently stick to it. Think of the body you could have by spending that time with physical exercise. Or how far a desired skill could be developed after one year.
Move Your World Forward With Two Hours per Week
At school, the majority is taught to become Doers—the specialists, technicians, the people who create tangible outcomes. Doing is the part that takes the most time and the Doer is invaluable.
You might have heard that an idea is 1%, and the execution is 99% of sweat—no doing, no result. That's also why we value doing higher than dreaming and planning.
But without working on our dreams and plans, there is often a lack of purpose and meaning. At FutureHabits, we believe it needs a balance between all three characteristics.
Dreamer | Planner | Doer |
Has limitless Ideas | Creates a Plan | Does the actual work |
Doing takes the biggest amount of time. That's why we banned the Doer from our venture dates.
Alessia and I met for a couple of months to map out ideas on Mondays within a strict time frame of two hours. We had the rule to wear strange hats, so we were constantly reminded to stay in the dreaming and planning mode but never start doing the actual work. You can think of it like dreaming and planning a trip without making any bookings or traveling.
Over time, these venture dates resulted in various blueprints for products and services.
Then we wondered:
What if people with great ideas would use our framework?
What if they would make two hours per week working on a future they desire?
What if more people start to turn their dreams into plans and reality?
So we created the 52-week program at FutureHabits, that suits everyone's schedule. Rather than forcing much time in a week or two, we spread the time to learn about dreaming, planning, and doing along a year.
In the first three months, it's all about learning fundamentals, such as the mindset and using habits as an engine. But also how the goal-setting methodology OKRs works. By the end of three months, people start the new quarter setting their dreams into reality.
If you wonder about the program, check this out:
What's an Idea That Won't Let You Go?
Some ideas stick around in our minds for years. It can be anything, from product ideas to product improvements to personal things, such as moving to another country or becoming an actor. Often, these ideas come up again in moments of frustration in a daily job when things aren't going as you want. You might think you'd do it differently or even quit doing something entirely other.
What is an idea that won't let you go? What are you doing about it? For how long is it sticking with you? And why is it not a reality yet?
Feel free to hit up the chat button on the website to get in contact with us.
We'd be happy to see you making your idea happen.
