June 30, 2011

So many minutes

So the month is over, and so is resolution number six.

Last month's resolution was to eliminate mindless tv. The hope was to gain back a few hours each night and do something more productive. The first part of the resolution was successful. I did not watch any network tv during the month. I did watch two movies and another hour of NetFlix entertainment. There were no moments where I flipped on the tv just to have something on or something to do, so I am calling that a success.

I did not however come away a completely changed man. I did get much (much) more reading done during the month. I also connected with some friends I had let fall away over the months and years. Emails and calls to friends and family were a little more frequent, a little more lengthy. But I didn't check hundreds of items off my to-do list or spend enough time getting rid of other clutter in my life.

But overall, it was good change in behavior. One that I think will stick around for some time. I have pretty much broken the habit of saying, "I didn't have time to do..." over the past couple of years. There have been plenty of hours out there to use, and after a month with no tv, I have found even more.

I don't need to fill every waking moment productively, and I think the reading I have done will pay off somewhere down the line, but I need to make every minute worthwhile.

Six months, and six resolutions. I am halfway home, and pretty happy with the experiment so far. Tomorrow, July's resolution.

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