“Our focus is our future and what we focus on will multiply in our life.”
Have a Goal in Mind
While Minecraft and Mario may be engaging games to play on a screen, the investment in these games is unlikely to grow real food, build real buildings, or earn real money. What video and computer games can provide is a leisurely activity to enjoy. Having a fun activity to do in our leisure time is but one of so many things we can use our screen-time for. Here are some other reasons we may want to engage in screen-time:
Communicate with others
Help us learn a skill
Help us build or fix something
Gain understanding on just about any topic in the world
Gain insights into a problem or challenge we are dealing with
Find things that inspire and uplift us
Prepare for a trip
Document a trip or experience
Shop
Earn a living
Start a business
I’m sure you can think of many more things that screen-time can be used for that I did not include here. The point is that there are so many valuable things screen-time can be used for when approached with a specific goal in mind. To help our children learn to use screen-time with purpose, we can ask them what it is they want to accomplish. For example, when our son or daughter comes to us wanting to play a video game, we can help them see that this activity accomplishes having fun in their leisure time, but we can also be clear with them that video games don’t get the house clean, magically complete their homework, or encourage them to eat a healthy diet. With practice, children can come to see screen-time differently than simply a endless supply of entertainment. With coaching and practice, our children can quickly learn that screen-time can help them accomplish so many great things in life when they approach it with a specific goal in mind.
Time Limited
When was the last time you received an assignment at work and were given no deadline for completing the assignment? Or when have any one of your children received a homework assignment with no due date? These scenarios don’t happen very often, if ever. Why is that? Well, without a deadline there’s really no accountability for completing a task or assignment. If something doesn’t have a deadline or time constraint, it’s the same as giving that task or goal zero priority. The task or goal either won’t get done or it will be given a time constraint to ensure it does get accomplished.
When we ourselves, or our children, get on a screen with no clear idea of when we are going to get off and do other things, we are setting ourselves up for compromise in other areas of our lives. Whether it’s sleep, nutrition, exercise, or time spent with family, we are likely to push out valuable things in our life when we don’t have a clear stopping point for our screen-time. Furthermore, when we approach screen-time as a tool to help us accomplish a goal, we naturally have an end point. In my experience so far, I’ve seen that children respond quickly to clear time limits, especially when they understand why the time limit is in place. Having discussions with our children as to why it’s important to have limits with screen-time will help them look for ways they can grow and progress in other areas of their lives.
Photos from Mt. Timpanogos, Utah
Quote from fearlessmotivation.com