Question Your Default Settings
Waiting at a stop light on my way to work, I overheard a guy in his truck listening to a local radio station. Not uncommon. But for some reason, it stuck out today. Why is this guy listening to FM radio? More importantly, why does anyone listen to FM radio anymore?
Maybe it’s because misery loves company. One of our least enjoyable daily activities is our commute.
Based on New York real estate data, New Yorkers spend $56 a month on average to shave a minute off their time traveling to and from work. That sounds on-the-money when you consider that one happiness researcher suggested taking an hour off your commute could be worth $40,000 of utility or more a year, depending on your salary.
If we hate our commutes, why aren’t we doing something about them? I’m not talking anything drastic, like moving. I mean what we can do right now. If we’re forced to spend these minutes transporting ourselves one way or another, can we squeeze a little extra well-being out of them?
Let’s narrow in on one aspect. What do you listen to? Is a local broadcast what you would enjoy the most? Is it what you would learn from the most? I assume you’ve already asked these questions for yourself at least once. You probably listen to your own favorite music. A great choice! But have you checked in with yourself lately about that choice?
Our options for what to listen to are close to limitless nowadays. You could listen to a podcast or course lecture on any subject for free. You could invest in audiobooks or in satellite radio. You could take an exploratory approach and identify something that relaxes you rather than energizes you on your drive or ride in to work.
Why do we settle for the path of least resistance in our immediate environment? We know we have other choices, and we know from past experience that the default is unlikely to lead to high satisfaction.
Let’s take another example. One big data firm noted a positive correlation between an employee’s performance and whether they used Chrome or Firefox (non-default browsers) instead of Internet Explorer when filling out an assessment during their job application.
No surprise there. If you actively seek out areas of improvement in your prevailing reality, you are likely more competent than average.
We are creatures of habit. But it’s healthy to shake things up every once in a while. There are hundreds of tiny areas in your life where switching up your routine would be low-cost and potentially high-return.
Your challenge: when you find yourself dissatisfied with something this week, try to ask yourself why. Bonus points: as a follow-up question, ask yourself how — as in, “how can I make this better?”
See if you can come up with constructive alternatives to your default settings.
