Ten Reasons To Turn Off Your TV
Watching television could hardly be described as a productive activity. I’d like to see something flip that in an article about TV Productivity, but until then it may be better turned off. Here are Ten reasons:
Electricity We had two televisions, and they would each be on an average of four hours a day. Given a cost of $0.10 per kilowatt hour, and the fact that the smaller television used about 100 watts and the larger one used about 160 watts, that meant we were using a bit over a kilowatt hour each day. There’s another $40 a year that vanished.
What I like about this post is another Ten suggestions of things to do instead of watching TV. Think about a minimum of 30 minutes you’re spending watching television and, for some, several hours per day. What else could you be doing?
- Start an exercise plan.
- Prepare meals.
- Read a book you’ve always wanted to read.
- Start a second business.
- Be social.
- Take an evening class.
- Learn a new skill or a new hobby.
- Take on a major project.
- Get things done.
- Take care of whatever bothers you. For me, it was taking a little bit of time each day to meditate and get in touch with my spiritual side, and it made a huge difference in my life.
How much time are you saving if you quit TV? How much money could you potentially make instead?
Ten Financial Reasons To Turn Off Your Television – And Ten Things To Replace It With – [TheSimpleDollar]
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Comments
Ben says on April 10th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
This article should definitely apply to me, but as with all things, quitting something ‘cold-turkey’, as they say, is a difficult approach to change.
I would approach this ‘undoing’, if you will, by selecting, ahead of time, the shows you really cannot live without, be it for reasons of social discussion of the show, or just for a personal peace of mind – entertainment.
I only vow to watch one or two shows – the rest of the time, I don’t watch TV, so maybe I am already ‘doing it’ right, but I do admit that in a lul period, I’ll flip the tube on for ‘background noise’, but sometimes I’ll end up plopped down in front of it, trying to find something to pass the time with.
I am inspired by your post, but I think I need an extra push in order to completely swear off the evil tube.
Mark N says on April 10th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Great article! TV has its uses, but more often than no it is overused. But it isn’t good enough to just replace TV with another unproductive thing. The article is great in that it suggests wholesome alternatives.
kareAnderson says on April 10th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
another notion of whaat to do with your freed-up time that is a family tradition
Make a homemade card for a friend “just because”…. make if funny, pretty, commemorative, odd… send severalBurma Shave-style in sequence
– Kare
Craig Childs says on April 10th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
I’m actually very curious now a days why people ‘tune in’ to shows when there is always a DVD around the corner.
Why not wait and watch the entire season at your leisure? Is that a stupid question?
Amanda A. says on April 10th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
I still haven’t figured out how I managed to do it, but somehow I never developed the habit of watching T.V. that many of my peers did. (I’m 22 and American, by the way.) There were a few programs that I watched regularly growing up, but I got bored if I just tried to channel surf. Even now, I only watch about two hours of television per week, and I don’t plan to get cable television when I move out of these dorms and into a real apartment.
Ironically, my father (who tends to come home from work and watch TV all night) thinks I spend too much time on the computer and I should watch more TV like a “normal person.”
Amanda A. says on April 10th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Sorry for double-posting, but I have a direct reply to a post that wasn’t there before. ^^;
# Craig Childs says:
“Why not wait and watch the entire season at your leisure?”
There are two reasons why I don’t wait on the shows I do choose to watch. One is the social aspect. I like going onto message boards and discussion groups and discussing the latest developments in a show, and also speculating on what’s coming up. You can still do that with a box set, but not half as well.
The other reason is the suspense. There’s more build-up with a week (or more) between episodes than there is if you watch a DVD set on a run. Yes, you can restrict yourself to one episode a week, but I don’t have that sort of willpower. ;)
Dan and Jennifer says on April 10th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Great post Craig.
TV is very addictive and eats away an amazing amount of your life if you let it.
Also a lot of what’s on TV (especially anything related to “the news”) is pretty negative and thus destructive to a happy, successful life.
Even if you keep some TV (your favorite shows), get rid of “the news”. It’s generally a collection of the worst stuff going on in the world today, all wrapped up in a special 30 minute “stuff you should worry about in case you’re happy” package.
Fear and adrenaline makes people tune in over and over again, so you’re guaranteed your nightly dose of fear.
We stopped watching the news a couple years ago, and after having gotten away from it it’s amazing how silly some of it really is: “The top 10 things you should worry about today, even if you think you’re safe. more at 11″. Come on. Really.
Steve Pavlina had a pretty good writeup on giving up TV for 30 days. Not surprisingly, he said it really changed his life for the better and enhanced his social life. After all, he had to spend time with friends and do “real world” stuff when he would have been watching TV. :-)
Have an awesome day!
Dan
Alan says on April 11th, 2007 at 1:38 am
Those are useful alternatives. I guess a new hobby would fit just well. Since most of us watch TV for entertainment, the new hobby will definitely cover up that part.
Fran says on April 12th, 2007 at 12:13 am
Those are great tips. I think that not all who watch TV are doing it for fun but also for some time to relax. I guess reading a book may be their only option.
Chris Peterson says on April 13th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Ironically, the Google Ad on this page says:
“Live TV on Your Mobile: Watch your favorite shows on your mobile phone anywhere, anytime!”