Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Identify your listening habit
• Part 2 of 3: Getting your music consumption under control
• Part 3 of 3: Buy less music
• Tips
• Warnings

If you always listen to music, then you can safely say that you are a big fan of it. However, if you find it difficult to take the headphones off your head, or if you don't feel complete without your headphones, you could say that you are addicted. This article will give you some tips on how to overcome your addiction and how to live a happy life without listening to a lot of music.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Identify your listening habit

1. Grab a pen and paper. If you are serious about controlling your behavior, you will need to spend some time thinking about and writing down the reasons why you want to do it. At some point, if you find it difficult to stop listening to music, you can read what you wrote to remind yourself why you started it in the first place. Writing down what you would otherwise discuss with someone allows you to get the addiction out of your system without comment from anyone else.
2. Think about why you listen to music. What is it about music that draws you so much that you find it hard to live without it? You may find it difficult to make friends or communicate, or perhaps the music is conveying something you want to say but cannot put into words yourself. Whatever the reason, you will need to become aware of the reasons why you are engaging in this behavior.
   • Write the reasons on paper. These can be more than one –– write them all down.
3. Check how many hours a day you listen to music. Becoming aware of this is extremely important to be able to do something about it. Spend a day checking your listening habits. Do this by keeping track of when you start listening to music and when you stop (e.g. started 7:45 am and stopped at 10:30 am). Before you go to sleep at night, add up the total number of hours.
   • In order to change, you will have to set goals with regard to changing your behavior. It is easier to set concrete goals if you know exactly how much time you spend listening to music.
   • During the day, keep track of your listening time while listening to music as you usually do.
   • You can do it even more precisely by keeping track of your listening habits for a few days. This can give you a more accurate picture.

Part 2 of 3: Getting your music consumption under control

1. Set yourself a goal. There is plenty of evidence that controlling your behavior is trainable, meaning that you will get better at it over time. So set yourself an objective goal, and try to reduce the time you spend listening to music by a few minutes each day until your goal is reached. Make sure the goal is realistic. If you listen to music for 12 hours a day, it is a good plan to reduce this to 10 hours a day.
   • When you finally reach the goal, set a new goal.
   • If the goal is too difficult, don't worry and set an easier goal. Don't make it too difficult for yourself.Ultimately, you shouldn't listen to music for more than 3 hours at most.
2. Put your headphones away. Waking up every day to see your iPod and headphones is just a temptation. If you hate throwing them away, or if the headphones have cost a lot of money, sell them or ask a friend to keep them for you. That way you will have to make an effort to be able to listen to music.
   • Try to reduce the amount of music by half an hour every day (or every week if this is too difficult).
3. Turn off the radio. If you or your parents are driving, the radio will probably be on, but do your best not to turn on the radio. If you're not driving, kindly ask your parents if you can turn off the radio and explain that you want to spend less time immersing yourself in music.
   • If nothing works, earplugs are a good alternative.
4. Leave your MP3 player at home. Normally, you would probably bring your iPod or other music device with you when you are on the go. Don't tempt yourself! Leave it at home. If you use a phone to listen to music, leave your headphones at home.
   • Resist the desire to buy new music. You can do this by carrying less money and reminding yourself that if you waste money on headphones, you won't get what you really want.
5. Get out more. Try to avoid situations where it is very likely that you will listen to music (eg when you are at home). It's good if you can replace the old problem with something new and productive. Buy a bike, make new friends or go for a nice walk.
   • Whatever you do, make it fun. If you are on a bike, you will have to pay attention to the traffic and you cannot wear headphones. When you are with friends, you are talking and laughing, so you won't be wearing headphones. When you take a walk, nature will take your mind off music.
6. Remember the benefits to your health. If you really can't keep it up, think of all the good things that no or minimal amount of music will mean to you. Review your list of reasons why you want to listen to less music to re-motivate yourself.
   • For example: Paying more attention to the traffic while driving or cycling, instead of getting lost in music, can save your life.

Part 3 of 3: Buy less music

1. Look at your bank statements for the past 6 months. If you usually download your music from online stores like iTunes, the Google Play Store, or Amazon, you probably have a credit card or bank statement for the amount you spent. Check out these statements to find out how much money you've spent on music.
2. Write down any music you have purchased with cash in the past 6 months. You will not always purchase all your music with your credit or debit card. For example, if you bought CDs or LPs in a store, you may have paid in cash. If so, write down which albums you have purchased with cash in recent months.
   • If you still have the receipt or do you remember the amount, write down how much you paid. If you don't remember, search online for that album's suggested retail price to get a rough idea of ​​the amount you spent.
3. Write down any music that you have illegally downloaded in the past few months. Hopefully you have not done this, but if you have, you will have to add this to your final total. Write down each song or album you have purchased or type it in an Excel worksheet.
   • Look for the album or song in the iTunes store or the Google Play store to find out how much you would have spent if you bought that music legally. Write this down too.
   • Be aware that if you download music illegally, you are committing a crime. If caught doing this, you can expect heavy fines that can go up to $ 250,000 and even lead to jail time.
4. Add up all purchases. Add up the number of songs you have purchased in the past 6 months and how much these purchases cost you. Do you spend more on music than on your necessary living expenses, such as food? Are you in debt for your music purchases? By going through these steps you will be able to examine your habits in a good, objective way.
5. Avoid impulse purchases. If you buy most of the music without giving it a lot of thought or thinking about its consequences, there are a number of things you can do to be more aware the next time you want to purchase a song or album. to go.
   • Please take a few minutes to get ready before heading for the checkout. Take a few deep breaths and walk around a bit. Try not to think about the number you want for a moment and return to your goals.
   • Think about whether the purchase is in line with your goals. Try to be as honest about that as you can. Does this new song help you get closer to your goal of spending less money on music, or does it take you further away from your goal?
   • Evaluate your stress level. Become aware of any stress you may feel, whether it is related to the purchase or something else. You're more likely to make an impulse purchase when you're tense, so take a moment to think about it as well.
6. Remove your credit card / bank account number from your music account. Do not save this information, and if you have already done so, delete it again. Companies often make it possible to make a purchase with one click, making it too easy to spend money. If you want to limit your spending, change these settings so that you need to enter your credit card information every time you want to make a purchase.
   • This also gives you time to consider whether this is a purchase that you “want” to make, or that you want to “have”.
7. Reward yourself. If you're able to forgo an impulse purchase, reward yourself with something else you'd like to have. Buy yourself a luxurious cup of coffee, an ice cream, or a new sweater with the money you have saved.

Tips

• Don't forget to keep track of your listening time. Otherwise, all your hard work will have been in vain.
• Get up around the same time every day and go to bed around the same time. This makes it easier to track how much time you spend listening to music each day.

Warnings

• Getting rid of an addiction can be extremely frustrating. This is hard to do and easy to give up. See a therapist or doctor if you need professional help with your motivation.
• This article is not medical advice. The term "addiction" is used herein in the broader, non-medical context of an "obsession". If you really think you have a serious addiction that a wiki can't solve, see your doctor.