I Tried Watching a Ted Talk Every Day for 30 Days

Summary

The author shares their transformative experience of watching a TED Talk every day for 30 days, which led to increased motivation, continuous personal growth, and a more positive outlook on life.

Abstract

During a period of sheltering in place, the author discovered renewed motivation and personal growth by incorporating the daily habit of watching TED Talks. This practice began after revisiting Stephen Duneier's talk on achieving ambitious goals through small habit changes. The author found that the inspiring stories and advice from various TED speakers not only motivated them to improve their life but also provided actionable strategies for personal development. Despite facing a habit slump midway, the author overcame it by pre-selecting talks and setting up their laptop the night before, ensuring the continuity of their new routine. The consistent exposure to diverse ideas and perspectives led to an increase in positivity and a willingness to embrace new experiences.

Opinions

The author believes that the inspiration drawn from TED Talks significantly boosts motivation and the drive to pursue personal goals.
They advocate for the implementation of small, daily habits as a means to achieve significant life changes, echoing Duneier's philosophy.
The author experienced a "habit slump" but emphasizes the importance of making the habit easier to maintain, such as by reducing decision fatigue and preparing in advance.
They suggest that watching TED Talks can lead to a more positive mindset and a proactive approach to personal growth and self-improvement.
The author encourages others to watch TED Talks daily, or at least more frequently, to benefit from the diverse insights and advice offered by the speakers.

Here’s what I learned.

A couple of weeks into the shelter in place, I was doing my usual Youtube binge when I stumbled upon a Ted Talk that I had watched a couple of months ago: How to Achieve Your Most Ambitious Goals by Stephen Duneier. In that video, Duneier explains (very persuasively) how making small habits to his daily routine allowed him to accomplish truly amazing things. It was there and then, eating my breakfast cheerios, that I decided to watch a Ted Talk during breakfast every day. It’s been about two weeks now, and I have to say, it’s vastly improved my life.

Here’s how watching a Ted Talk every day completely changed my attitude towards life and gave me the motivation to achieve my goals.

1. Inspiration Increases Motivation

Many of the Ted Talks I watched were incredibly inspiring personal stories on hardship, achievement, and life experiences. Learning about these stories have motivated me to try things I’ve never done before, seek out new experiences, and work harder. I’ve seen my motivation to take action to improve my life skyrocket this past month.

2. Continuous Growth

From that first video I watched, I learned to implement small habits into my daily routine. A perfect complement with that philosophy was that with watching a new Ted Talk a day came with a new piece of advice. I found that I continuously implemented more and more changes into my daily routine based on the advice I had found in the previous video. For example, I’ve learned (and implemented methods) to not take things personally, deal with stress, and more.

3. Habit Slump

Like all habits, I started out strong. After watching each successive Ted Talk, I felt refreshed and inspired to start my day, making new changes in the way I thought about different aspects of life. I noticed I was less likely to dwell on things that made me self-conscious, more willing to do things out of my comfort zone, and more positive in my thinking.

However, as the weekend rolled around, I noticed a certain reluctance to roll out of bed, fetch my laptop and clunky headphones, trudge to the dining room and watch another talk. Not long after, I realized that I hadn’t watched a Ted Talk in the past couple of days. Furthermore, all the habits I had implemented were falling by the wayside.

To get out of this slump, I made two crucial changes. First, I started arranging which Ted Talks I would watch in a Youtube playlist, in order to decrease the decisions I would have to make in the mornings (when I watched the Ted Talk). Second, before I went to bed, I ensured that the only window open on my laptop was the Ted Talk and that it was ready to play. Thus, these changes made it easier for me to implement my habit and I soon got the ball rolling again.

4. Increased Positivity

Overall, I’ve noticed that the combined inspiration along with advice on changing my life for the better has resulted in an overall increase in positivity. Through Ted Talks such as How to not take things personally by Frederik Imbo and How changing your story can change your life by Lori Gottlieb, I became inspired and excited to work, happy to seek out new experiences, and curious in the world around me.

Thus, here are some great reasons to start watching Ted Talks daily (or just more Ted Talks!) and one way to get out of the habit slump. Feel free to comment on your favorite Ted Talk and I hope this helps with your journey!