How to Overcome Music Addiction

If you often listen to music, you are a true music lover. However, if you have trouble getting rid of your headphones or feel inadequate without them, you may have a music addiction. This article will provide tips to help you overcome your addiction and lead a happy life without too much music.

Table of Contents

Track your music habits

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Take out a pen and paper. If you’re serious about controlling your behavior, you need to take the time to think about and write down the reasons for your behavior. ^{[1] X Research Sources} This way, when you find it difficult to break a habit, you can re-read what you’ve written and recall why you tried in the first place. Sometimes writing down things like that will help you release your feelings without being judged.

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Consider why you listen to music. What is it about music that attracts you so much that it’s hard to live without music? Maybe you have trouble making friends or socializing, or music says what you want to hear but can’t put into words. Whatever the reason, you need to be aware of the reasons for this behavior. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Write your reasons on paper. You may have more than one reason, list them all.

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Calculate the number of hours you listen to music per day. Being aware of your habit is an especially important step in overcoming it. ^{[3] X Research Source} Take a day to track your listening habits. Make a note of when you start listening to the music and when it stops (for example, starts at 7:45 a.m. and stops at 10:30 a.m.). Before going to bed, calculate the total number of hours listening to music during the day.

You need to set goals to change your behavior in order to actually bring about certain changes. It’s easier to set specific goals when you know exactly how much time you spend listening to music.
During the day that tracks your music time, listen to music as you normally would.
You can also aim for more accurate results by tracking your music habits for a few days. This will clearly show you the big picture.

Manage your music listening

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Set goals. A lot of evidence shows that controlling behavior is an exercise, meaning you will get better with practice. ^{[4] X Research Source} So set an objective goal, and try to cut down on a few minutes of listening to music each day until you reach that goal. Set realistic goals. If you listen to music twelve hours a day, a suitable goal would be to listen to ten hours of music a day.

Once the set goal is achieved, set a new one.
If your goal is too difficult, make it easier. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Finally, you should only listen to music for a maximum of three hours a day.

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Give up headphones. When you wake up every morning, seeing your iPod and headphones will only tempt you. If it feels bad to throw your headphones away or if they’re expensive, sell them or ask a friend to keep them. This way, it will take a lot of work to get your headphones back.

Remember to try to cut down on half an hour of music every day (or every week if it’s too hard for you).

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Turn off the radio. If you or your parents drive a car, the car radio will definitely be on, but do your best not to turn on the music. If you’re not driving, politely ask your parents to turn off the radio and explain that you’re trying to spend less time listening to music.

If all these methods fail, noise-canceling earplugs are a suitable alternative.

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Leave the music player at home. Usually, you will bring your iPod or other music device with you when you go out. Don’t tempt yourself! Instead, leave the music player at home. If you are using a phone with a music function and want to take it with you, leave your headphones at home.

Curb the urge to buy new headphones. You can do this by carrying less money and reminding yourself that you won’t get what you really want if you spend money on headphones.

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Go out more often. Try to avoid situations where you’re more likely to listen to music (like when you’re at home). It would be great if you could replace your previous problems with new and productive habits. ^{[5] X Research Resources} Buy a bike, make friends or go for a walk.

Whatever you do, make it fun. If you’re cycling, you need to focus on driving on the road, so you can’t use headphones. If you’re with friends, you’ll chat and laugh, so you can’t use headphones either. If you’re going for a walk, the scenery around will make you stop thinking about the music.

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Remember the health benefits. If you really want to give up on your goals, remember the good things that life has no or very little music to bring you. Reread the reasons why you want to listen to music less to find motivation again. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

For example, paying more attention to the street when driving or cycling instead of focusing on music could save your life.

Buy Less Music Products

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Check your bank statements for the past six months. If you often download music from online stores like iTunes, Google Play Store, or Amazon, you’ll have a credit or debit card statement that records exactly how much you’ve spent. Read through your credit card statement or bank statement to see how much you’ve spent on music purchases.

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List all the music you’ve purchased with cash in the last six months. You probably won’t often buy music with a debit or credit card. For example, when you buy a CD or vinyl record at a store, you will pay in cash. If this is the case for you, write down all the albums you’ve purchased with cash in the past few months.

If you have an invoice or remember the price, write down the amount you paid. If you don’t remember, look up the current price of the album online to get an estimate of how much you paid.

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Write down all the music you’ve pirated in the last six months. Hopefully you don’t do the above, but if you do, you’ll need to include this as well. Write down on paper or an Excel spreadsheet each song or album you’ve downloaded.

Search for albums or songs on iTunes or Google Play to see how much you’ll pay if you download music legally. Write this number down.
In the US, be aware that if downloading music is illegal, you’re doing it. If caught, you could be fined up to $250,000 and even go to jail. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Calculate the total amount you bought music. Calculate the total number of songs you have purchased in the last six months, and the corresponding amount you have to pay. Are you spending too much on music products instead of other necessities in life, such as food? Are you in debt for buying music? By completing the steps above, you’ll have a great and objective way to look at your habits.

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Avoid buying impulsive music. If you buy most music products without really thinking through this and its consequences, there are a few steps you can take to be more aware of your next album and music purchase.

Take a few seconds or minutes to think twice before going to the checkout. Take a deep breath, walk around a bit. You want to stop thinking about the record you want to buy and focus on your goals. ^{[8] X Research Sources}
Think about whether buying music is helping you work towards your goals. Be as honest with yourself as possible. Is that new song bringing you closer to your goal — spending less money on music — or pulling you away from it? ^{[9] X Research Source}
Assess your stress level. Be aware of the stress you’re experiencing, whether it’s related to buying music or anything else. You’re more likely to buy music impulsively when stressed, so take some time to think about it. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Remove your credit/debit card from your music account. Don’t put such information online, if you do, delete it. Companies often make it very easy to buy music with the click of a mouse. If you want to limit your spending, change your settings so that you’re forced to enter your credit card information every time you make a purchase.

This will give you time to assess whether the item is something you “want” to buy or “need” to buy. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Reward yourself. If you can steer clear of your impulse purchases, reward yourself with another item you want. Buy yourself a coffee, an ice cream, or a shirt with the money you’ve saved.

Advice

Don’t forget to track your listening time; All your efforts will be wasted if you don’t.
Every day, wake up and go to bed at the same time. This will help you determine how much time you listen to music each day.

Warning

Overcoming an addictive habit can be an extremely upsetting experience. It will be difficult for you to achieve your goals, and you often want to give up. See a therapist or doctor if you need intensive support to stay motivated.
This article is not professional advice, and uses the word “addiction” in a broad, non-technical sense, with the meaning of “obsession”. If you really think your addiction is so severe that no article can solve it, seek help from your doctor.

Steps

Track your music habits

Manage your music listening

Buy Less Music Products

Advice

Warning

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