Will A Media Fast Help Your Marriage?

I’m a big fan of Tim Ferriss’ book, the 4 Hour Work Week (4HWW). Tim recommends something that I had never thought of before I read his book – a Media Fast.

I engage in fasting regularly, at least once per month. I have trained my body to be able to go without food or water for a day at a time. Twenty four hours is very doable for fasting. In fact, it’s not really even difficult for me anymore. When I first read the 4HWW, I went on a semi-successful five day media fast and it was actually pretty nice. It allows you to clear your mind and focus on things that are different than what you normally focus on – and often those things happen to be the most important things.
Why a Media Fast?

Tim Ferriss prescribes a media fast as an introduction to a low information diet. He points out that with the internet and cable television, there is so much information out there, most of it completely irrelevant, that it overwhelms the rest of our lives. I agree. I’ve noticed that all of that extraneous information is creeping in to take over my life. I cut it back before, so it’s time to do it again.

What are the benefits of a media fast?

- More time with my spouse. Without all of that media, I’ll be free to spend more time interacting with humans, especially my wife.

- Less stimulation. Ever get half way through the day and realize that you’re exhausted? Less media = less stimulation of the brain and more time to relax and unwind.

- Perspective. After being away from media for a few days, it’s easy to point out to yourself what you actually miss and what was fluff. It’s even easier to then cut out the fluff.

With that said, I’m going on a 4 day media fast, beginning Sunday, June 1st.

I’ll be Avoiding:

- Television entirely. I probably watch 1 – 3 hours of TV in a night.
- Video Games. If I’m not watching TV, I’m playing Rock Band or Halo 3 for 2 – 3 hours in an evening.
- Movies. Don’t watch a lot of movies, but I’m cutting this one too.
- No Mp3 player. Do you realize how much of the world you cut off when you plug in those headphones? I used to converse with people on the bus. Now, no one does.
- Magazines and books except for one pleasure novel. I happen to be a huge fantasy fan, so I’ll be reading a Dragonlance novel, most likely.
- The Internet. This is huge, and the most difficult part for me. I won’t be doing any blogging (there will be scheduled posts that I’ve already written, however), surfing the internet, social media networking, or anything else online.
- Email. I’m a compulsive email checker, but I won’t be checking my personal email for four days. I’m also limiting my work email to once in the morning when I get to work, and once in the afternoon after lunch.

I estimate this will free up about 4 – 7 hours in a day for me.

What Will I Be Doing With My Time?

- I’ll sleep a little more. I get up early to blog and use social media. I don’t mind that, but I’ve been overly tired lately. I’m going to rejuvenate by sleeping a little longer.

- More time with my wife. I can get distracted from her by media. I’m going to give her more time so that she feels appreciated.
- Reading the scriptures more. Arguably, this is media, but it’s a necessary part of my day. I’ve read the Bible and the Book of Mormon every day for nearly 10 years and it’s a source of spiritual rejuvenation for me.
- Meditation. Without constant stimulation, you are open to inspiration. I plan on spending a little more time in prayer and meditation. This will give me the chance to consider where my life is at and what I want to continue doing, and what I want to cut out.

I’ll be sharing my experience in a future post after the media fast is over. In the meantime, have any of you ever done anything like this? What was your experience? If you haven’t, why not?