The 4th quarter is all that matters in football. From my perspective, the other 3 quarters of football just don’t mean anything. There are three reasons for this:
- Above all else, I just don’t have time anymore to waste my entire Sunday watching a bunch of people I don’t know live their dream
- If I wait until the 4th quarter, I can decide if the game is worth watching, then catch the highlights of the early part of the game and watch the most exciting part of the game live.
- In a close game, the 4th quarter is all that matters
This is the first season I started taking this approach to watching football and I couldn’t be more happy with the results. I spend more time with my two boys on the weekend, so they are happier. I spend more time with my wife, so of course we are a happier couple, and in the process I think I’ve discovered a valuable lesson about life.
In life, there are hundreds of options for spending your time. Each of these options fall in 1 of 3 categories:
Category 1 – The things you enjoy that don’t produce a lick of value in your life other than a few hours of pleasure
Category 2 – Things that you don’t enjoy that produce a tremendous amount of value in your life and those of others
Category 3 – The sweet spot that combines the two, enjoyment and value.
I’ve learned that watching Football is in category 1. Instead of eliminating category 1 activities, I am finding a way to discover the equivalent of that activities 4th quarter. Instead of avoiding category 2 activities, I try to schedule these activities right before I start a category 1 activity. That way, I am giving myself a carrot.
As for category 3, it’s all about recognition. Recognizing that an activity is in this category and maximizing how often I spend my time with these activities. I’ve found that writing, running, family outings, and taking my two sons to wrestling practice fall into category 3.
Up until recently I spent way too much time in category 1 and too little time in category 3. Now that I am aware of this, I’ve flipped the script.