This is the first post in our Kill Your TV series, designed to help you navigate your television-less existence for the next 30 days. (You didn’t think we’d spring it on you and then leave you hanging, did you?) Today’s post is all about helping you through the first week without your beloved plug-in drug – and filling those hours with something meaningful.
While it may seem obvious to those of you who have been without cable for a few years now, we’re here to present the rest of you Kill Your TV participants with 174,203 (almost) things you can do with your life instead of watching TV. (We’re also giving you links to products we like in our newly opened Amazon store, to help get you started.) Take back those hours this month and do something productive, fun, enriching or restorative. Like what? Glad you asked.
Improve Your Training Performance
- Stretch
- Perform self-myofascial release
- Go for a recovery walk/bike/swim/paddle/row
- Read training-related books or articles
- Do some skill work
- Practice yoga
- Update your training logs
- Get a massage
- Take an ice bath
- Connect with your trainer or fellow gym-goers
- Lay out your short-term and long-term training goals
- Get acupuncture
Improve Your Sleep
- Go to bed earlier
- Read a book
- Take a hot bath
- Have sex
- Develop a pre-bed routine
- Prepare clothes/food/work for the morning
- Buy and install black-out curtains
- Read Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival
- Read Dallas’ sleep article in Performance Menu
Improve Your Nutrition
- Prep and cook food for the week
- Try a new recipe
- Visit a local farm or market
- Clean out your pantry
- Take a cooking class
- Prepare a new vegetable
- Read a cookbook
- Make a weekly meal plan
- Find a new nutrition book
- Sign up for a CSA
- Host a dinner party
Improve Your Family Time
- Call or visit a family member
- Play a board game or cards
- Read a book together
- Go outside and play
- Cook dinner together
- Help your kids with their homework
- Take a family walk after dinner
- Plan a family trip or vacation
- Have a date night with your significant other
- Work on a puzzle
- Do a craft project
- Write a letter or send a card
- Organize family photos
- Plan a party or an event
Improve Your Household
- Train your dog
- Finish that project that’s been half done for 6 months
- Clean something
- Organize something
- Start a garden
- Mow the lawn
- Plant a tree or flowers
- Have a yard sale
- Start a compost pile
- Wash your car
- Send stuff to Goodwill
- Get your oil changed
- Do laundry
- Go through stacks of papers and mail
Improve Your Fun and Play
- Pick up a new sport
- Go rock climbing
- Learn to swim
- Go for a bike ride
- Have a picnic
- Play with a slackline
- Play boccee
- Play ball with your kids
- Climb a tree
- Have a block party
- Throw a frisbee
- Go for a hike
- Nap in the grass
- Go to a local baseball game
- Shoot some baskets
Improve YOU
- Take an adult education class
- Get a pedicure
- Plan your dream house
- Go to church
- Volunteer
- Learn to knit
- Write something
- Take an art class
- Browse your local bookstore
- Get involved with your neighborhood
- Get involved in local politics
- Finish your will
- Join a book club
- Meet with a financial advisor
- Organize your business receipts
- Take yourself out for dinner
- Go to the dentist
- Test drive a car you can’t afford
What Will YOU Do?
Okay, so we don’t quite have 174,203 things… but this is a darn good start. And we bet you can come up with even more ideas to fill those TV-watching hours. So what will you do instead of watching television during the month of May? Submit your best ideas to comments.
For other articles in our Kill Your TV series, click here.
Tonight I’m beginning my meditation practice! How awesome is that?!
I love this list! I’ll be hitting up mail-sorting tonight for sure. Church, pedicure, the dentist (that last one’s for my honey) are all great to-dos. So happy you included these, especially the first one
I’ll admit, yesterday kinda sucked. I didn’t know how I was going to do the next 29 days. I felt like a super wimp.
But today, I feel awesome. Freer between the ears. And reading through this post makes me feel even better.
@Mel – have you meditated before? I taught meditation (and stuff) for 10 years, but I haven’t been doing it much lately, and I’ve been thinking about getting back into it, too. Anyhow, if you need ideas/tips/whatever, I’m happy to share.
Thanks, Adam! I haven’t meditated before… my therapist gave me a CD of guided meditation to start. But if you have tips you want to share, I’d love ‘em!
Thanks so much for the list. There are a lot of great ideas here. It was interesting how fast I fell asleep last night without the television on. I am going to practice my yoga tonight.
One more thing….kind of a timely article on what is happening to us with all the tech available. I would imagine this rings true for quite a few of us trying to make a change.
http://gizmodo.com/#!5797489/family-time-is-now-gadget-time
Thanks for doing this challenge. I needed an excuse to get my family off of “the tube.” However, when my 4 year old found out we weren’t watching TV for a month, he said “Mom, why do you have to ruin everything?” Now I’m labeled a ruiner, if that’s even a word. Oh well, we will have to find some other fun things to do. I just wanted to say thanks again. You guys are awesome.
Devil’s advocate – all that stuff sounds like work. My issue with my down time is that I am always on edge feeling like I should be doing something productive. I tend to use TV as a way to allow myself to unload, relax, and enjoy just being and turning my brain off (which is why I chose TV over a book later at night).
Not saying this is healthy, or that my brain is really off. But curious if anyone else is overwhelmed that every replacement to TV is spending money (acupucture), takes a lot of effort or requires being “on” (joining things, organizing things, meditation), oris work (volunteering).
In general, I’m curious if these things are more fulfilling than nothing (I consider TV nothing lol) or if people are overwhelmed with their down time being turned into productive time:)
I’m slowly working on my husband to do this with me. I think I will be more effective if I am completely convinced, so I look forward to reading!
Heather,
Most of the time, people complain that they don’t have enough time to do exactly this kind of “work” – household chores, school work, volunteer efforts, errands. (And in all fairness, there are plenty of people who wouldn’t consider volunteering, joining a team or organizing a group event “work”.)
You can come up with plenty of free, fun things to do besides spending money and working. Take a nap. Read a book, Visit the library or browse your local bookstore, museum or art display. Play outside. Go for a walk. Your definition of “work” is going to differ from mine – I consider washing my car “work”, Dallas thinks it’s a lot of fun and really rewarding. The point is, get INVOLVED with something real instead of giving your time to a false relationship with your TV screen. This list is only a starting point. We’re doing as much as we can to inspire and guide you along these 30 days, but we can’t do it for you.
Best,
Melissa
@Melicious – sounds like you’re off to a good start with the guided meditation cd… some of them can get onerous, though, once you’re used to them; if you get tired of it, let me know. Otherwise, relax and have fun!
@Heather – I totally hear you. The voices in my head have been saying, “I need to be productive with this time!”, and it’s freaking me out a little. So what I’m doing is two-fold: first, learn to enjoy doing nothing. Reclaim peacefulness. Embrace the void. Get a break. The yin. All that stuff.
And, I’m also going to use some of this time to learn some skills I’ve been wanting to learn, namely knot tying and origami, and maybe even some macroclimbing (Bachar ladder stuff in my garage), slacklining, or finally get that free-standing handstand I’ve been pining for. The yang.
Hope this helps.
I’m going to try this… when you guys first posted the challenge I was all “hell no!”. But after yesterday, where I didn’t watch any TV and I wasn’t even *trying* I want to give this a shot. I’m a little worried about the silence though. I’m one who uses TV as company, and living alone I get a little freaked out sometimes and like having the TV on as a comfort (as if the TV would actually protect me?). It’s a mental block I’ve wanted to overcome for a while- hang out and go to sleep, by myself, with no distractions… I guess it’s now or never? (And I know people will say “music” but it’s never felt the same.)
I did something similar a few years ago while backpacking through New Zealand and Australia- not on purpose but just because I couldn’t watch TV. I think I watched 5 hours total in 3+ months and that was news at a hostel (btw- European news is so much more depressing than American news). When I got home, I was so excited to zone out with my shows… yet I found myself turning the TV off after a half hour because my head hurt. It was too much noise! But I was in college and it didn’t stick. At this time there are zero shows I can’t live without but I will be sad to not watch Glee.
I think it’s important to remember that, at first, we don’t need to plan to do anything or be motivated to “work” without television. If I sit for a while, I will get bored, then decide to get up and do something. That might be cleaning the bathroom; it might be going for a hike; it might be calling my grandmother.
Jerry Mander describes this phenomenon pretty well when he discusses growing up without television:
“I am a member of the pre-television generation. Until I was in my late teens, there wasn’t any television. So as a child my after-school activities were different from those of the average child today.
I can recall how it felt coming home from school every day. First, I would look in the refrigerator to see if my mother had left me any snacks. I would quickly take care of those. Then, I might play with the dog. I would go up to my room. I would lie on the living room floor. I would become bored. Nothing to do.
Slowly I would slip into a state that I have lately begun to call “downtime” (not in the computer sense)–a kind of deadly boredom. A bottom of feeling, as it were. It was connected with a gnawing anxiety in the stomach. It was so unpleasant that I would eventually decide to do something. I would call a friend. I would go outdoors. I would play ball. I would read.
I think that the downtime I am describing was the norm for kids during the 1940s, when life was slower than it is today. Looking back, I view that time of nothingness as serving an important creative function. OUt of this nothing-to-do condition some activity would eventually emerge. You got to the bottom of your feelings, you let things slide to their lowest state, and then you took charge. You experienced yourself in movement, with ideas. Taking all young people in the country as a group, this downtime could be considered a national genetic pool of creativity.”
Jerry Mander, In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology & the Survival of the Indian Nations, 1991, 83-84.
This challenge was good timing especially with all the media coverage surrounding the death of OBL. Just reading about it online is overwhelming, and I can only imagine what TV’s finest are saying. This weekend, my SO and I went out and bought some games from a locally owned toy store, and it looks like we’ve replaced one vice of TV with “Solitare Chess”… jk. It’s a fun game and we both enjoy playing it, and the app version will have to wait until afterwards
We also have a busy month ahead of us with family coming to visit, so time away from the boob tube will help us get ready instead of rushing near the end. Plenty of what you’ve listed it’s what’s on my own ‘to do’ list.
@ Justin and Adam. Love the idea of embracing doing nothing in the way that you both describe. Slowing down is very challenging for me. If I’m doing something, I’m doing it fast. So even sitting down and reading can get my mind racing (I’m an english major, I start writing papers in my head, or to do lists….). That said, I don’t even really like TV, but use it to anchor myself.
Need to get rid of the crutch and just slow down:)
Yesterday was our first official day without TV. I barely noticed… did my first guided meditation, talked about our upcoming trip to Paris and Prague… made so much headway in the book I’m reading that I finished it off this morning!
The Club Dumas… it’s a beautifully-written literary mystery set in Spain and Paris… the plot hinges on pages from the original manuscript of The Three Musketeers AND three copies of a mysterious book that may have been authored by Satan. Maybe. The characters are all book lovers, so if you like to geek out about literature, mysteries, and people taking on favorite characters’ names, you’ll love this book.
Next up: The Three Musketeers. I was going to watch the movie, but now… I’m off to a battered copy of Dumas.
I know this is nothing like “kill you television” but this is just a little tidbit from my world. I work in ICU…night shift. Most nights, most of the TVs in most of out patients’ rooms are on. Given the acuity of our patients, most are intubated (on a ventilator) and sedated. Our patients, while they may be sedated, still have an awareness of what goes on around them. It is a 24 hour environment, between taking vital signs, hourly assessments, lab tests, radiology exams, etc. Many patients develop a condition called ‘ICU Psychosis’ after spending several weeks in ICU because there is often very little difference between day and night, and there is constant stimulation. This is an actual documented condition that requires medical intervention that is suspected to be the result of a lack of sleep – sedation is not the same as sleep (!). It seems like a small thing, but I make a point of turning off the TV and lights in my patients’ rooms by 9pm. Having been a night nurse for several years, I can do a lot of my work without turning the full overhead lights on in a patient’s room! It’s not a scientific study, but I think my patients have more restful nights without the excess light and noise.
I love this list! Although I do watch some television shows, I canceled my cable a few years back and only watch a handful of shows I really want to watch on the computer, at a time that is convenient for me.
I was pleased to discover I already do some of the things on your list. While reading the list I was inspired to add a few more to my regular repertoire. When I think of work-life balance, I think of all the great ideas on your list. Work-life balance is about making mindful choices about how I spend my time and this list is a great place to start.
I go for a walk in the local park along the river (Free), sit on the grass with my eyes closed and listen for birds, squirrels, rabbits and the wind soughing through the trees (FREE). Listen to the water splashing over the rocks.
Bring a book and read for a while then just close my eyes and clear my mind.
Go for walks at night, looking at the stars.
Go visit a friend and chat for an evening.
Volunteer at the local seniors centre.
Prune, pot and talk to my plants.
Watch eagles circling on the wind.
Go for a drive, a sail or paddle my kayak, taking pictures of anything and everything.
I get bitched at all the time, “you’re always in a good mood and so relaxed” hmmmm must be doing something right
Uninstalling stumbleupon should be on top of the list!
I will: play Rummy, play cards, walk my dog, visit friends, go out and have pizza, bicycling on weekends, have fun with my boyfriend, call my Mom, go for a trip, go to church, laugh, love….
* Be still.
go online lol
To keep our daughter (age 6) interested, my husband and I are having her make a list through out the month of all the fun things she has found she can do with out her cartoons. So far she has about 10 things and it’s only day 4. Also, we have day 1 and day 30 marked on our calendar and each day she gets to make a mark.
Fuck your list..i’m gonna watch more TV
the only thing i dont like about that list is the “go to church”
that doesnt do a thing, especially when you’re not a christian
Well as today was my Sabbath and gym or running around…family time indeed. I decided to spend a while reading, relaxing and sleeping in the hammock on my deck with a nice cozy blanket. The sheer pleasure! Thanks for reminding me to take the time for ME!
Reading your post about doing things other than watching TV, Although naturally using the Internet is fine.
“HAVE SEX”
There’s an idea.
Do they sell it in jars at Coles (Supermarket)?
It’s funny how sex seems to be this amazing cure all for lifes shortcomings.
I’ve seen these people bashing their heads against a brick wall because they’re supposedly
not normal, because they’re not getting any, next thing they’re in relationships and being depressed, and having babies, and not enough money is coming in, they’re screaming blue murder at each other and hurling objects and getting black eyes and a lawyer.
I’ve seen (and heard) this first hand, Neighbours abusing each other and relations having divorces.
And somehow, because I’m single and wish to stay that way, and live with my cat and dog. I get sneered at.
And while it’s true that life isn’t perfect, I can pretty much do my own thing.
Perhaps I’m too lazy or inept, but honestly, what’s the point?
Wolfie!
I don’t think I can improve myself going to church buddy…
I Stumbled Upon this and am so glad I did! The cable box in my room broke about 18 months ago, so I was unable to watch TV and rarely had time to sit and watch a whole movie so I basically had all that time without the tube. It was great! I work full time and go to school full time, so I could really use the extra time. Plus, I’ve learned that when the TV is on, I just watch it. I have a really hard time doing stuff and watching TV at the same time. I also LOVED not being a Gleek (no offense) or obsessed with American Idol or the Real Housewives of where ever. Anyways, for my birthday, my parents replaced my cable box… sigh. I have to admit, sometimes I turn it on, not for any particular reason, just to have it on. And I hate it! I have much less energy on a daily basis, I feel overwhelmed with things to do all the time, and there is just no satisfaction in watching anything on TV.
So thanks for the inspiration and the list. My 30 days start now. Next up, living without StumbleUpon, FaceBook, and learning to only use my cell phone for phone calls again!
Good luck everyone!
So while I am not doing the challenge I still decided to not watch it this weekend and try some of the things on this list.
Today I went to the shops and bought a sketch pad, pencils and paint, I used to be a really good cartoonist and lost ‘it’ if you will when I stopped years ago. I had so much fun today drawing and colouring and painting I felt like I was a kid again.
Before that I cleaned out all my paperwork and junk in my spare room drawers and went for two walks. I felt like I didn’t need a TV at all.
I am going to continue drawing this week and also going to make sure I finish one of the three books I have started.
Next weekend I am going to do the following
Garden
Play my guitar
Take Photos
Although I have bought tickets already to see Pirates of the carribean on Saturday
it’s amusing to me that someone can read a list titled “174,203 things you CAN do…” and be so offended by one of the suggestions (have sex, go to church) that they feel it’s absolutely necessary to post how that will not help them. i don’t have a dog but i’m not offended that it was suggested to spend time training one. good grief.
btw-great article, great blog.
I would change “Go to church” to “Learn something new about the cosmos”. Keep it real…
But that’s just me.
well, I think thats an nice trial for many people, mainly for child, which most of them end up watching crappy stuff, while parents are not around… I did something similar to this, but not killing my TV at all of it, but now, I watch only series and movies. Thats something already =D lol
Love the list. Going to church surprised me though, and should be changed to something more universal… Maybe exploring/re-evaluating your spirituality.
It amazes me how many have an issue with “go to church” over “have sex”. You know what? I am a christian and I APPRECIATED seeing it. Because when I haven’t gone to church in a while maybe I need to “hear” that, so if you are not a christian just OVERLOOK that line. You don’t take every single suggestion on here literally (hence the name suggestion) so WHY pick that one out? Get a life…oh wait that’s what this page is all about. We can’t all be so highly evolved that we don’t look for God. Have a nice day. And for the people behind this page, it’s awesome!
The “church” thing has prompted more controversy than we expected. Fascinating.
I think of “church” as anyplace one might go to commune with God, nature, yourself or others. Maybe it’s a mountaintop, maybe it’s the desert, maybe it’s a trail run all by yourself in the middle of the woods, maybe it’s an actual church… they’re all good, they could all help you connect with something bigger than yourself, and they’re all fantastic places to spend your non-TV watching time.
Best,
Melissa
I really appreciate the idea of the title of the topic…smart…can i copy it.
@Limitless: You are more than welcome to link back to the article, or copy a portion of it with “read more here” that links back to our site. Thanks for the comment – glad you enjoyed!
Melissa
What a fantastic list… I don’t watch much T.V. but with this list I doubt I will EVER be bored again. I am going to share this with everyone!
@Kukident
well said
I would like revise the church option. Not everyone is a Christian(shocking, right?!). A person could go to a synagogue, a mosque, a temple, or going outside the realm of organized religion, do whatever they feel is spiritual to them.
I love my TV. All those stories and wonderful actors, directors cinematographers. Its RELAXING. Like ‘Going to the Dentist’ is not so relaxing.
When I come home from work after 8 hours of using my brain to breaking point and an hour and a half of commuting, there is nothing better than grabbing a cold one from the fridge, propping my feet up and watching the teeve with my partner for a couple of hours before bed.
Somehow Doing a Craft Project doesn’t cut it.
Nice try though.
Wow, everyone is so touchy about “go to church”! I am a free thinker and not religious, but I do give Christianity credit for making such generous patronages to the arts, music, academics studies, medicine, giving relief, ect. Our society’s morality is largely Judeo-Christian and many of our cultural references are biblical. By going to church, you might *gasp*…Learn something! Learning about Christianity lets us take a peek inside of the minds of a big percentage of our civilization. We learn why they think the things that they do. You don’t necessarily have to agree with the doctrine or any of the dogma, just find out what is going on for the sake of knowing.
Also, going to church can be quite fun… There is a lot of music, people clean up and dress in their finery and are generally very friendly. Also, if it is a Southern Baptist church, you may be invited to a luncheon or picnic with lots of home-made food afterwards! Try going, be nice, talk to folks, see what is going on in the community, etc…
RE: the church comment. Fearfulsymmetry has it right. The issue is that the word “church” is not inclusive. It assumes you are Christian.
I think fewer people would find it insulting if you put: Go to church/synagogue/mosque/other spiritual place.
There were too many posts to go through and this is a little late, but I believe a great thing to do other than watching t.v. is to pick up an instrument. I starting playing guitar a year and a half ago and I have found it to be very rewarding.
Haven’t even GOT a TV and don’t do half of these activities…
The only point that will defiantly NOT improve you is going to church only if you’re going to burn it down
I have been living without a TV since July, 2005. Until then I had been watching TV regularly. Instrumental for the sudden stop was my suspicion that watching TV manipulated my thinking process so that I became a very unpeaceful person. I wanted to see if living without watching TV could change that.
It did. After about 6 months I could clearly see positive changes in my attitudes. I decided to keep it that way. Initially I used the largest part of the time released by that for learning new skills, just for fun. Now I don’t have any time to watch the TV.
I stopped when I read “go to church”, people should be themselves instead of be something they think someone (god) wants them to be.
Instead of TV, I can read such self improvement article and as usual do not implement them
I only really watch TV anymore if it is educational, and I watch some Spanish channels to help me learn Spanish.
What about see a therapist? I think personal growth is so valuable!
Im swithcing off and going out to do one now!
Take an ICE bath or A NICE BATH?
Its been 4 years I have stopped watching TV. I was bored of it there is nothing special. Its better to other stuff like reading a book or may be playing some games I also like watching movies
very interesting
Go to the dog park!
my mom just UNPLUGGEDEVERY TV IN THE HOUSE. i didnt know how it would turn out to be, but we are having more fun, we get to spend more time together, my mom, dad and i have dinner together and it is way better that the shows i used to watch on tv.
i am reading my cookbook, trying new recipes, volunteering, going to the gym and spending more time with my family.
we KILLED OUR TV and we are proud!
You know, I gave up TV for lent, months before I read this article. I will admitt, I was miserable for the first few weeks. It does get better though. I felt SO MUCH BETTER during lent, actually getting out and doing stuff. Now I hardly ever watch TV, even though lent has passed. It’s like my once a week dessert, instead of my MUST HAVE food.
Thank you very much. That is a good overview.
I would like to quit watching tv, however it is difficult if you are home bound, have no friends, and cannot drive yourself anywhere. Luckily this is only temporary as my foot is broken and the recovery time is significant. I also find tv to be inspiring at times, especially programs like project runway. I think the key is everything in moderation.
Many people become unaware of themselves when it comes to deciding what to do when they have free time. That’s why they turn to watching tv or some other activity that ends up being unproductive to their self improvement or self growth. If people are more aware of themselves, what they want out of life, they are more likely to have a plan to follow and are less likely to make decisions such as watching tv. Thanks for this list – quite helpful to many people.
The people who post stuff bout church are the ones who need to go the most.The God of this world(satan)has blinded your eyes from the truth.Do not gain the world and loose your soul.God bless!
Totally dig that you posted these everyday options for others to do. I don’t really watch tv that much and I’ve always found life to be much more fulfilling doing the things you’ve posted. Thanks again for sharing this list and Cheers!! To life!!
_Great job there_
Great Post! TV rots the brain.
Finish writing my book (link above on my name) so far I have 14 chapters and a bunch to go! Great list – I think Zig Zigglar once said, “it will cost you $500 to buy the Tv, and $1,000,000 + watching it.”
http://authspot.com/novels/diary-of-a-dirt-bag-chapter-one/
Tell me what you think…..
Eric
And what about sex?
@Heather: choose the ones that don’t sound like work. I have often sat in front of the TV to unwind, veg out, turn my brain off. But I’ve discovered that when I finally do turn the TV off, I don’t feel any more relaxed than I was before I turned it on. Maybe trying something like a bubble bath or reading a book would be better than washing your car or cleaning your house.
@everyone who complained about the church idea: just because it doesn’t help you, doesn’t mean it doesn’t help anyone. If you don’t want to go to church, don’t go. This is a list of things you can do, not a list of things you must do.
how does church improve your life? I personally think that church only brings hate, prejudice, and racism. Churches are not a good part of life. Try to avoid them. DUH PEOPLE!!!
I tried the sex thing tonight…..and it worked…:-)
Me and my girlfriend should do plenty of these things. Bookmarked for later use!
Stumbled this site.. Good ideas!
It’s amazing how many people have a problem with “go to church”. Rather than see the word ‘church’ as maybe a generic place they can go to and have a positive (spiritual) experience or even how that term may apply to their own religion, they see the idea as something wrong. Maybe the idea of meeting people in their community and get involved with something constructive is wrong? Listening to someone speak on how they can deal with life’s problems is a bad idea? Guess its just easier to shut out the idea and be negative. It’s real simple people, if the item does not appeal to you, then skip it.
Television is like ‘chewing gum’ for the brain. I still have TV’s and pay way too much for the cable service which pipes in plenty of mindless garbage packed full of endless commercials. The ‘news’ is just scripted propaganda, filtered for our pleasure and given a high dose of sensationalism. It’s really not that hard to find something else to do. Sure there is still some interesting stuff worthy of watching but it seems to be less and less. Invest in a DVR and then plan what shows you want to see in advance.
Here’s some other stuff you can do: Cancel cable TV, go bowling, meet some new people, laugh a little, have a few beers and laugh some more. Clean our your closet, shred papers, scan your old photos, back up your computer, write your state representative, get involved in your home owners association, buy a gun and learn how to use it. Read the constitution. Sit on the front porch or your deck and rock! Go meet your neighbors. Help out at a soup kitchen or shelter.
Robert – thanks for your contribution! We love the idea that TV is “chewing gum” for the brain – mindless, and inherently habit-forming. We may use that someday!
Welcome to our site – poke around, we’ve got lots of good stuff here.
Best,
Melissa
Uh….. yea im only 12 and my mom is being crazy and took away my tv watching so i cant do 1/2 of this and my heart got broken by my best friend who told me stuff </3
im still sad and ii have homework and studying to do so my life SUX a lot
go skateboarding!
Our family has worked to limit TV time and we are 10 times more productive. I am so happy to not know what people are talking about when they are discussing shows, I simply say I was out with my family.
I stopped watching TV last July because my tv broke down. I am now richer because I am not tempted to buy from the main shopping channel, which had become an addiction. Do I miss it? Nope. I do still occasionally watch a little tv on my netbook, but this is not really satisfactory.
mmmm… i do sevral of those things and i also watch TV…
It is amazing how many things can be done instead of watching TV! Thanks for sharing
great post, I think we all need our time away from the TV, it is really hurting us.
I don’t have TV!
Television is a reflection of our society. Segregated & full of rage. So why then would we choose to perpetuate that on an intimate level? Even if t.v. were like it was..” Father knows best” and all that so called ” normal” it has inevitably gone full circle.
It’s profitable, it’s greed, it will suck you dry. Watching t.v. is a job.
People forget that cable is simply a space to display advertisements. It’s advertisement real estate. Not to mention how expensive cable and satellite costs to have. Getting rid of cable was one of the best things I ever did for myself. It freed up a lot of my time and also helped to fill out my wallet.
When I want to be entertained, I seek out the show or movie I feel like seeing, or I ask friends for recommendations. In a way, having to look for the media I want forces me out into the community and brings me and my friends closer. I interact with other people in person more than I did before, with cable. It also seems to facilitate my desire to find alternative forms of entertainment, such as live theatre, or open mic nights.
Think about the last time you went out. Isn’t it more memorable than the last night you spent watching cable TV at home alone?
Alex
Reading this!!!!!!
Got the benefits of avoid watching TV
Quilt, ride a tandem, play volleyball, play basket ball, talk with your neighbor, call your mother, meditate, journal,knit, crochet, make new curtains, have a cup of tea, paint, draw, mow the grass, polish your nails, take a gun safety class, go for a drive, bake, I can think of many more but will stop now.
I love it!
We’ve been tv-free for 15 years. My husband said he didn’t want one in our home when we got married. It never occurred to me it was an option! We’ll celebrate our 15th anniversary next month.
I’m so glad he suggested it. I know we have a stronger marriage and family because of this decision. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!