If you always listen to music, you will surely be a big fan. However, if you have a hard time getting the earphones out of your ears or feel incomplete without them, it can be said that you are addicted. This article will give you some tips on how to overcome these addictions and lead a happy life without having to listen to music all the time.
Note: This article does not offer professional advice; the term "addiction" is used in the broadest sense of "obsession". If you really think you have a serious addiction that no wiki tool can solve, ask a doctor for help.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Calculating Time Spent Listening to Music
Step 1. Get a pen and paper
If you are really serious about quitting, you need to think seriously about it. To do this you need to write down everything that is described in the steps below. That way, if you have a hard time quitting, you can read your notes and especially remember why you started trying. Sometimes, writing is also a way to get the words out without anyone criticizing you.
Step 2. Consider why you listen to music
What kind of music attracts you so much that you struggle to live without it? Maybe it closes you off from the cruel world you feel you live in. Maybe you have a hard time making friends or communicating. Maybe the music tells you things you want to hear but can't express. Whatever the reason, you need to understand it.
Write it down. There could also be more than one reason - write them all down
Step 3. Calculate how long you listen to music
While this step seems difficult, it really isn't. In fact, you don't even need to be good at math. Just know that you are getting up by now and going to bed by now (you should have these notes already). If you've been listening to music all day, this will be your amount of time. If you've only done this for an hour, take an hour away from when you woke up.
- If you want to change, you need to set goals to change your habits. It will be easier to set concrete goals by knowing exactly how much time you spend listening to music each day.
- During a day when you keep track of your listening, dedicate yourself to music as usual.
- For greater accuracy, keep track of your habits for several consecutive days; you will get a more precise picture.
Part 2 of 3: Handle Music with Greater Awareness
Step 1. Set a goal
Every day try to reduce the time by half an hour until you reach your goal. Also make sure that the goal is realistic. If you listen to music for twelve hours a day, a great goal is to listen to it for ten hours a day.
- Once you have finally achieved your goal, set a new one.
- If it's too complicated, feel free to decide on an easier one. Don't be too hard on yourself. Eventually, you should be listening to music for a maximum of three hours a day. In the next few steps you will find some tips on how to do this.
Step 2. Get rid of the earphones
Waking up every day and seeing iPods and headphones, you will only indulge in this temptation. If you feel bad about throwing them away or if they cost a lot, sell them or put them in the back of a drawer. In this way, you will only be able to take them after you have emptied everything. If you really feel the need, however, you can always take them back.
Remember the goal of half an hour a day and reduce your listening time. Follow it by leaving the earbuds in the drawer as long as you can
Step 3. Turn off the radio
If you drive or share the car with your parents, the car stereo will probably be on. Keep it off at all costs. She will tempt you to get your earphones back and get you to listen to the music again, even if you don't focus on her. When not driving, kindly ask your parents to keep the radio off and explain to them that you are trying to overcome your addiction to music.
If all goes wrong, earplugs against noise are a nice alternative
Step 4. Leave your MP3 player at home
You'll probably take your iPod or MP3 with you when you go out, right? Stop doing it. If your iPod is at home and you are out, you can't use it, can you? If you use your mobile phone and take it with you, leave the earphones at home.
Resist the temptation to buy new ones. You can do this by taking less money with you and remembering that you won't be able to do what you really want if you waste money on earphones
Step 5. Get out more
This step is linked to the last one. To get away from the music, get out more. Buy a bike, make some friends or a nice walk.
Whatever you do, try to have fun. When you are cycling, you have to concentrate on the road and therefore you cannot use the earphones. If you're with friends, you'll be chatting and laughing, so you won't be able to use headphones. If you take a walk, nature will keep you distracted from the desire to listen to music
Step 6. Remember the health benefits
If you really want to give up on this addiction, remember the positives that no music will give you. If you constantly close yourself to the rest of the world, you will not be able to make friends and, if you have no friends, you risk falling into depression.
Paying attention to the road while driving or cycling saves your life… could those useless earphones do that? Plus, without music you will have more time to study or write. In this way you will greatly improve your grammar and knowledge of Italian
Part 3 of 3: Buy Less Music
Step 1. Look at your bank statement for the past six months
If you typically download music from online stores like iTunes, the Google Play Store, or Amazon, you'll have a credit or debit statement documenting exactly how much money you've spent. Browse the most recent ones to see how much money you have spent on music purchases.
Step 2. Write down all the music you have purchased for cash in the past six months
You may not always buy music with a debit or credit card. For example, if you buy CDs or vinyl records in a store, you can pay in cash. If this is the case, write down the albums you have purchased with cash in the last few months.
If you have the receipt or remember the price, write down how much you paid. If you don't have it, search online for the current rate for that album to get a general idea of how much you spent
Step 3. Write down all the music you have pirated in the last six months
Hopefully you didn't, but if it did, you need to include it in your final tally. Write down every song or album you have purchased or mark it in an Excel sheet.
- Search for the album or song on the iTunes Store or Google Play Store to find out how much you would have spent if you had legally purchased it. Note this too.
- Be aware that by illegally downloading music you are committing a crime. If you get caught, you could face heavy fines (up to 250,000 euros) and even risk jail.
Step 4. Add up your purchases
Add in the number of songs you have purchased over the past six months, and how much it has cost you. Are you spending more on music than on basic necessities like food? Are you running into debt for your music purchases? By completing these steps, you will be able to learn an objective method of examining your habits.
Step 5. Avoid impulse purchases
If most of your music was purchased without really thinking about it, there are a few things you can do to become more aware the next time you buy a new song or album.
- It only takes a few seconds or minutes to make up your mind before showing up at the cash register. Take a couple of deep breaths, walk around for a while. The goal is to distract your mind from the song you want to purchase and think about your goals.
- Think about whether the purchase will be in line with your goals. Try to be as honest with yourself as possible. Will the new song get you closer to your goal of spending less money on music, or will it take you further?
- Assess your stress level. Be aware of any stress that occurs, whether it is related to the purchase or something else. It's easier to make an impulse buy if you're stressed out, so take a second to think about that too.
Step 6. Remove the credit / debit card from your music account
Do not store the information, and if you have already done so, remove it. Companies usually allow one-click purchase of music, which makes it just too easy to do. If you want to limit your spending, change your settings so that you have to type in your credit card information every time you make a purchase.
This will also give you some time to consider whether it is a purchase you "want" or one you "need"
Step 7. Reward yourself
If you've managed to avoid an impulse purchase, reward yourself with something else you want, like a nice cappuccino, ice cream, or a sweater bought with the money you saved.
Advice
- Don't forget to write down how long you spend listening to music, otherwise all your hard work will go up in smoke.
- Read your notes if you intend to give up on going all the way. You will see how much progress you have made.
- Wake up and go to bed at the same times every day. You will understand how long you have been listening to music.
