I’m addicted to the tube
The quit tipConsider what you’re sacrificing.
My impulse to stare at the screen feels as natural to me as breathing, as many habits do.
To stop, he suggests that I consciously think about what valuable resource the behavior is costing me.
“We’re naturally inclined to value what’s scarce,” he says.
That’s easywith two young sons in the mix, it’s my free time.
Did it work?Like a charm!
A month later, I’ve cut my TV time by a quarter.
I say yes when I mean no
The quit tipBecome more aware.
Specifically, you get a barrage of cheerleading or instructional texts and messages designed to interrupt your impulse.
Did it work?Partly.
“Eliminate the wordshouldfrom your vocabulary,” the message instructed.
“Replace it withwouldlike to.”
I’m Starbucks’s best customer
The quit tipZen out.
She also tells me to bring something to sip, because I associate Starbucks with a drink.
Inquiry, she tells me, is what follows.
“It’s like a beam of light,” she says.
“Normally, you find yourself at Starbucks before you think about it.
Did it work?Absolutely.
The first morning, I head out the door armed with an iced tea I made at home.
As I watch my son fidgeting with his sunglasses, I savor the sweetness of my iced tea.
I attempt to intuit why I’m normally drawn to the store.
It’s a treat, I realize.
I steer the stroller away and keep going, past four more Starbucks.
I don’t stop at any.
It’s as if a string has been cut.
I’m finally free.
