Family Entertainment Guide
I created this guide to help our children navigate the constant pull of social media, Netflix, video games, and other forms of what I call “shallow entertainment”.
I deliver this guide like a business presentation (each section as a slide). I try to be quick, to the point, upbeat, and casual.
A tabloid-sized (11 by 17) copy of this presentation (pictured below) is taped to our refrigerator. [Omnigraffle file]
This is a guide, not rules! We often remind our kids about what’s in the guide, but we don’t strictly enforce any of the bullets below.
The goal here is to create awareness [of shallow entertainment] and to inspire self-motivation.
Shallow Entertainment Sources
video games
social media
episodic TV, Netflix, YouTube
politics, cable news, local news
cheap novels
sports and entertainment news
shallow news (e.g.: Apple News)
unnecessary shopping
Why This Guide Matters?
Solitude is necessary to deep thinking; deep thinking is necessary to navigating complex tasks; your ability to complete complex tasks makes your work products highly valuable. Today, social media, endless alerts, devices, and shallow entertainment deprive almost everyone of solitude. Be different!
Your attention [your time] is your most valuable asset. Don’t waste your attention (and your youth) on shallow entertainment.
Create don’t consume. So much happiness comes from creating. Spend more time creating than consuming [entertainment].
Invest TWICE as much time into real-life, face-to-face, in-person friendships, relationships, and networking as you spend on entertainment, and you will be twice as happy, healthy, and wealthy because of it.
Entertainment is a reward for doing something charitable, for learning something complex, for accomplishing goals, and [generally] for completing a meaningful day. If you don’t deserve the reward, go to bed and try harder tomorrow.
Shallow Entertainment Timing
Beyond spending a few minutes in the morning to review social updates and headlines, mornings should never be dedicated to entertainment.
Entertainment comes at the end of the day…after you have completed your homework, chores, exercise, learning, sports, arts, health, spiritual, and goal commitments.
Shallow Entertainment Boundaries
Weekdays: 60–90 minutes TOTAL* a day is more than enough (all sources combined).
Weekends: 90–120 minutes TOTAL* a day is more than enough (all sources combined).
*Including: no more than one TV/Netflix episode a day, and 100% of your social media usage.
Better Than Shallow Entertainment
Ted Talks and smart YouTube videos
Exercise, sports training, walking, or running
Important books (not shallow novels)
Serious, thoughtful, smart internet posts
Prayer and meditation
Playing music or creating art
Napping
Spending time with friends
Preparing healthy food
Before Entertainment Questions
Are you getting more As than Bs, and no Cs?
Is your homework completed?
30 minutes of cardio? 100–200 pushups?
Have you prepared a healthy meal today?
Is your room clean and organized?
Do you need to attend to your laundry?
Do your pets have food, water, etc.?
Any cleaning, organizing, or chores to do?
Have you responded to important requests to communicate (e.g.: emails)
Have you reviewed your goals (and schedule) for the day, week, month, and more?
Have you learned something smart and relevant to your career today (e.g.: read one long article)?
Are your finances in order, and are all your bills paid?