Hey, guys, Mogul advisor, Trevor Mauch here...
Today, I want to talk about a study I read (I would tell you the title but I don’t want to give my point away quite yet!) about how productivity has declined here in the United States. In fact, according to this article, productivity has gone down in the past 20 years to the lowest point in our country’s history.
When I say productivity I mean:
How much the average citizen gets done in actually producing economic growth each day.
Back in the good ol’ days, like the 50s, our nation’s productivity was high as all get out. People GOT STUFF DONE. But, today, we’re less productive than most other economies in the world. We "work" more and get less results per person today then we did 60 years ago.
Why?!
Well, I’ve got one reason... and it’s something you’re probably all too familiar with. We’ll find out here in a minute by answering this question with an honest answer:
What would you do if someone came into your home every day and interrupted your thinking time and hypnotized you nightly and turned your mind to mush? He sabotaged 40%-80% of your free time away from your job and left you with nothing to show for it? He nagged you, told you all of the things wrong with you and this world and destroyed your family time because he had an almost spell-like control over everyone in your house?
Weird question, huh? Just play along with me for a minute and I’ll get to my point…
So what would you do if this person was staying with you? Would you let them stay forever or kick them out?
I would hope you’re saying:
I’d kick them out!
Okay, so what the heck is my point?
Well, it’s time to find out the identity of this mysterious time-gobbling monster and how to handle it…
Creepers! It Sounds like We Have a Mystery on Our Hands, Gang
Well, if you’re like the average American, you’re actually letting this "person" into your house right now. 100% voluntarily and willingly. You even pay a pretty penny for the "privilege" of having them there.
What the heck am I talking about?!
If you haven’t guessed already, I’m talking about meddling television.
Yep, that big box the average American has in their living-room (all 60 inches of LCD HD glory)... in your bedroom... maybe even in your kitchen and kids' rooms or bathroom. TVs are the most destructive force in your home today to your wealth, health, prosperity, happiness, creativity and then some. So think of it this way: What is your TV costing you right now? (This is a rhetorical question BTW.)
Well, I don’t want to be a hypocrite, so I’m going to go ahead and get this out of the way…
We have a big ol’ TV on our wall. We watch more TV than I’d like. And also, I’m not saying that TV doesn’t have value. I just want to open your eyes to the destructive power of the TV, and how you can double your own productivity and happiness with a few quick steps.
But first, let me tell you some facts…
The Ugly Truth about Television
The statistics are shocking. The average American watches about 7 hours of TV a day. Did you hear what I said? 7 hours A DAY, people!
But, hypothetically, let’s say you’re part of an elite group and "only" watch 3 hours of TV a day.
And let’s say you value your own time at $50/hour (which is low, but it’s the hourly rate you’d have to make to bring in $100,000/year working 40 hours a week). Let’s also say you don’t watch any TV on weekends... just a few hours after work.
So, let’s do some math now:
50 x 3 hours a day = $150 in your time watching TV each day
And then…
$150 x 5 days a week = $750 a week in TV time
And also…
$750 x 52 weeks = $39,000 a year in your time spent watching TV
Now, let's assume you lived this life for 50 years (from age 20 to 70). We all know “time is money” and by this point you have spent $1,800,000 watching television.
Disgusting, isn’t it? Now, you can probably see where I’m going with this. All of those assumptions were very conservative. If you watch more than 3 hours of TV (and most people do) a day, then you should increase your numbers. If you want to make more than $100,000 a year... increase your numbers.
But the amazing and eye-opening thing here is:
Looking conservatively -- watching only 3 hours of TV 5 days a week – you’re costing yourself over $1.8 million. And the really scary thing is that if you account for the time, you’re spending over 4 years of your life in front of the TV. Crazy, huh? I thought so too when I heard these numbers.
Could You Use an Extra $1.8 Million and 4 Additional Years?
Who couldn’t? Well, here’s how to get it…
It’s actually simple. Do what my wife and I did last year and cancel your cable TV.
Yes, it’s going to hurt at first. Your favorite TV shows will be gone. You may have to find other things to do every night and morning (more fun things like actually spend quality time with friends and family, work out, work on your business, read, get stuff done around the house, volunteer… a whole bunch of stuff opens up) and your kids may think you’re the weird family (because you aren’t a member of those disgusting statistics anymore).
Honestly, if being wealthy and living a happy and fulfilled life is weird... then I’ll take weird over "normal" any day of the week (especially since the normal nowadays is broke and tired).
Once we cancelled our cable, things changed BIG TIME in our marriage, energy, my creativity, my business and every aspect of life. The only thing I lacked was knowing who was voted off on The Bachelor on Monday nights. (But there’s the internet for that, right?!)
So… lemme say it clearly:
My advice to you is to bite the bullet, rip off the Band-Aid, pull the trigger – and cancel your cable. Regain your life and productivity (not to mention the $100+ a month cable bill)!
I know today’s lesson was a bit rough, but I’ve also offered up some other excellent lessons, check ‘em out.
What Do You Have to Say, Moguls?
Who else out there has some shocking truths? Do tell! Tell us your story below. We’d love to hear from ya!
Cancel your cable. You can do it!
Make the most of your time.
Watch your productivity rise.
Get the most out of your business and your life.