Write the reason down on your paper. It could also be more than one reason––scribble them all down too.
In order to change, you will need to set goals about changing your behavior. It will be easier to set concrete goals if you know exactly how much time you spend listening to music. During the day you track your listening time, listen to music as you normally would. You can be even more accurate by tracking your listening habits over a few days. This may provide you with a more accurate picture.
Once you finally reach your target, set a new one. If your target is too hard, feel free to set an easier one. Don’t make this too hard on yourself either. In the end, you should be listening to music for three hours maximum.
Remember to try and reduce your music time by half an hour each day (or each week if that is too hard).
If all else fails, noise-cancelling earplugs are a nice alternative.
Resist the urge to buy new ones. You can do this by bringing less money and reminding yourself that you can’t get what you really want to get if you waste your money on earphones.
Whatever you do, make it fun. If you’re on a bike, you will need to focus on the road so you can’t use earphones. If you’re with friends, you will be chatting and laughing so you can’t use earphones. If you’re taking a walk, the nature will keep your mind off of music.
For example, paying closer attention to the road while driving or riding a bike instead of focusing on music could save your life.
If you have the receipt or remember the price, write down how much you paid. If you didn’t, search online for the going rate for that album to get a general idea of how much you spent.
Search for the album or song in the iTunes store or in the Google Play store to find out how much you would have spent had you purchased the music legally. Write this down too. Be aware that if you are downloading music illegally, you are committing a crime. If you get caught doing so, you could face heavy fines of up to $250,000 and even jail time. [7] X Research source
Take a few seconds or minutes to regroup before you head to the cash register. Take a few deep breaths, walk around a bit. You want to get your mind off of the song you want and back to thinking about your goals. [8] X Research source Think about whether the purchase will be in alignment with your goals. Try to be as honest with yourself as possible. Does that new song help get you closer to your goal of spending less money on music or does it take you farther away from that goal?[9] X Research source Evaluate your stress level. Become aware of any stress you are experiencing, whether it is related to the purchase or something else. You may be more likely to make an impulse purchase if you are stressed, so take a second to think about this, too. [10] X Research source
This will also give you a bit of time to evaluate whether this is a “want” purchase or a “need” purchase. [11] X Research source
