What to do Instead of Watching TV

I’ve search the internet too, and read just about every article out there on the topic.  I live in a small town, so a lot of the activities don’t apply because we don’t have that around here.  So what is one to do?  You can check out my posts about what to do when you’re bored, but I watch tv even when I’m not bored…

I can be a binge watcher; I can sit and consume tv like candy, but there reached a point in my life that I decided it felt empty to me.  Someone would ask me what I did and I couldn’t remember.  If it was a good use of my time, wouldn’t I remember?

I think we need to understand why we watch tv before we can unplug ourselves.

 Do we watch to escape the world and our lives?

Do we watch to relax and be entertained?

Do we watch because there’s nothing else to do?

Do we watch to be informed?

For me it was all of the above, depending on the day.   I enjoyed connecting with the storyline and characters in tv shows, predicting plot outcomes with my husband; getting renovation ideas on HGTV; and learning nature facts on the History Channel’s Alone.  Sometimes I just wanted to be entertained and watched So You Think You Can Dance.

When I spent more time out of the house, took up the hobby of blogging, and started reading again, I found I didn’t feel the desire to watch tv anymore.  I tried to figure out why and realized that the new activities I was doing fulfilled the reasons I watched tv in the first place.  Tv became something special to do and not an everyday thing, and I was okay with that balance.

So what do you do instead of watching tv?

Find another activity you enjoy that fulfills the reason you watch tv.

Escapism? Read a good book.  

Better yet write your own or read someone else’s online.  I love how you can add pictures or just read a short story.  Try Figment or Inkle Writer or NaNOWriMo.

Want to Learn something new?  This is a list of awesome sites to learn something new, definitely something I want to dig deeper into.

I like this list of productive and meaningful things to do you might not of thought of. This list has ideas on how to stop yourself from watching too much tv in the first place like a timer or not starting a new series, as well as a long list of alternative activities.

So what do you do?

Find out why you watch tv.

Fill your time with another activity that is productive and purposeful, which will be different for each person.

May you find ways to use your time that leave you feeling fulfilled if you’re looking to reduce tv time.

Favorite