# a small hack: pushups before Netflix

**URL:** <https://forum.beeminder.com/t/a-small-hack-pushups-before-netflix/11524>\
**Category:** Life\
**Created:** [April 3, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/a-small-hack-pushups-before-netflix/11524 "2024-04-03T22:04:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sheik](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.beeminder.com/sheik/32/5107_2.png) [@sheik](https://forum.beeminder.com/u/sheik)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/a-small-hack-pushups-before-netflix/11524/1 "2024-04-03T22:04:31Z")

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I spend a lot of time every day watching Netflix, YouTube or Instagram, depending on my mood. I can get stuck for hours, which obviously has detrimental consequences on my mental health.

I tried a lot of techniques to reduce my phone usage over the years, with limited success.

Yesterday, while watching Instagram, I found the video of a guy with huge biceps. Answering how he did it: “I work out when I’m stressed”. It was a regular software engineer at a comedy show. I was amazed, because his biceps were really big and I figured he must have been cheating. But with his explanation, it made perfect sense.

So! I made a deal with myself. “I have the right to watch a Netflix episode only right after doing 10 pushups”.

What happens:

1. I’m in my lazy state, looking for anything to distract me from the tasks of the day ahead. I really want Netflix. I feel miserable
2. I do the 10 pushups
3. I feel some kind of rush after doing the pushups
4. I open Beeminder to log my pushups
5. I’m motivated due to the pushups, so I work on more Beeminder goals.
6. Some goals make me want to work more, while some make me lazy again. It’s a game of picking the right tasks for the current energy level to avoid crashing or stalling tasks.

So far today: 35 pushups, no Netflix episodes watched, and I finished my immense to-do list🤯

I hope it’ll work in the long term. I’ll update this thread 🧵

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sheik](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.beeminder.com/sheik/32/5107_2.png) [@sheik](https://forum.beeminder.com/u/sheik)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 11:07pm UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/a-small-hack-pushups-before-netflix/11524/2 "2024-04-04T23:07:31Z")

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Update: I’m back to watching Netflix.

New rule: I need to add 10 pushups per episodes watched today.

Episode 1: 10 pushups  
Episode 2: 20 more pushups  
Episode 3: 30 more pushups

It should force me to go to sleep. I can do 10 pushups alright. 20 is hard. 30, I’ll just give up and go to sleep / do something else.

Also I should count episodes watched with my mother…

That’s a rule better left for another day.