Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved watching TV. I used to be seriously addicted to TV though, and fortunately I’ve learned to discipline myself and have cut back a lot over the last couple years. Because I understand how addicting watching TV, movies, and streaming videos can be, I want to help more people learn how to get their viewing habits under control. Watching TV is a cheap and fun form of entertainment, but it can take over your life, turn you into a habitual procrastinator, and negatively impact those you live with. Part of Untemplater’s value proposition is about finding ways to get more out of your life, which involves becoming more productive and trying new things. So I hope you will make an effort to quit watching TV and stop procrastinating this year.
Here are 10 easy tips to get you off the couch so you can get busy living and doing more things you love.
1. Don’t upgrade your TV or DVD player.
I went over to one of my friend’s apartments about a month back and her husband was super excited to show me the 55 inch Samsung Smart LED TV they had just bought. I wasn’t even sure what a Smart TV was at the time, so he happily showed me how he could surf the Internet, log into his Facebook account, and play videos he’d recently uploaded to the web. The picture quality and features were quite impressive, and I could tell this type of technology would be trouble for TV addicts.
So if you’re trying to quit watching tv and videos, save yourself some money and don’t upgrade your TV, dvd player, or internet package. The newer technology will only tempt you to watch more! I have an older TV but I don’t plan to upgrade it to a SMART TV anytime soon. I’m trying to hit my goal of saving 30% of my income this year and don’t want any more temptation to watch TV and stream shows.
2. Reduce the number of devices in your house and avoid having a TV in your bedroom.
I used to have a TV in the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. Yes, I realize that sounds pretty ridiculous. I used to enjoy watching TV in the kitchen when I was washing dishes or making dinner, until one day about 2 months ago the audio stopped coming through. A few days after that I lost picture. Comcast had finally pulled the plug on the analog channels in my neighborhood. Left with a useless TV, I started searching around for a digital converter box, until I decided “why bother?!”
So I packed up that TV and donated it to Goodwill. I missed having it for a few days but I quickly got over it. Now I’m thinking about donating my second TV in my bedroom. I don’t use it much anymore, and I’d be able to save $10 a month by having one less cable box. I’d also be making my chiropractor happy because he said watching TV from bed has been hurting my neck.
3. Stop paying for cable all together.
A lof of my online friends have happily cut cable out of their budgets entirely, especially those in the personal finance space. They like saving money, use the funds that would have gone to the cable bill to pay down debt, and put their freed up time towards building new income streams and being with their families.
If you’re struggling with debt you should seriously consider going cable free until you get your finances in shape. Cable isn’t a necessity and should be one of the first things to go if you’re in a money crunch.
4. Get a library card.
I love my library card so much that I’ve memorized the 14 digit account number, lol. That is part of the reason why I consider myself a bit of a nerd. I encourage you to quit watching TV and go check out your local public libraries. There are so many incredible resources and best of all they’re FREE!
You can learn a language, teach yourself how to program, read about business law and accounting, browse the Internet, etc. Some of my favorite collections at the library are the travel books, magazines, and colorful reference guides. Staying interested in reading and learning new things has really helped me stop procrastinating. If you decide to ditch your cable you could also take advantage of the wide range of DVDs at the library, and watch the occasional show for free in your downtime.
5. Replace your least favorite shows with an activity.
We all have favorite shows, which are the hardest to cut out. But if you came across this article doing a search on “how to quit watching TV,” chances are you have plenty of so-so shows you could easily cut out from your watch list.
Come up with a fun or productive activity to replace the time that you used to spend watching those shows. This will help you appreciate your time more and will provide more motivation to quit watching TV. And if you’re not already getting regular exercise, go for a jog, do some yoga stretches, or get out and walk the dog in your newly freed up time. You’ll be happy that you did.
6. Go to bed earlier and wake up sooner.
One sign you have a TV addiction is if you’re watching shows until 1 or 2 am until you fall asleep with the TV still on. I used to do this many times before I got my watching habits under control. It was bad. If you get more sleep at night however, you’ll be more motivated to get things done the next day when you wake up refreshed.
Plus if you wake up sooner you’ll have more time to get ready in the morning and can even throw in a 20 minute exercise routine while you’re at it. We’ve all heard our doctors say, “Take better care of your health. Get more sleep, eat healthy, and regular exercise.” Being healthy means you’ll have more energy each day and won’t feel tired all the time. The more energy you have, the more living you can do! So work harder at taking care of yourself. I know I definitely feel better when I get in a good work out and go to bed early.
7. Use a timer and stick to it.
A lot of people who have TV addictions and problems with procrastination don’t recognize when they’ve had enough. They’ll often say to themselves “I’ll do xyz after I watch 1 more episode” or “I’ll rest some more today and start on my to do list tomorrow.” The trouble is they end up saying these same things over and over again and never get started on anything.
I’ve been there. And I know how hard it can be! So try disciplining yourself with a timer. Set it for a reasonable time such as 30 min or an hour, and put the timer across the room so you’ll have to get up off the couch to turn it off when it rings. You can use one of those traditional kitchen timers or a digital one in your smart phone. As soon as the timer goes off, make sure to cut the power on the TV at the same time.
8. Keep a list of your accomplishments.
One thing you want to get addicted to is the thrill of reaching goals and the incredible sense of reward that comes with completing tasks. I keep a regular log of all the things I finish at work and in my personal life. Whenever I’m feeling lazy, I pull it out and remind myself of all the things I’ve done.
If it’s been a while since I added something to the list, it helps me realize I need to get out of my funk and gives me a boost to get some new achievements on there. You can also set goals like “I’m going to do xyz today first, before I even turn on the TV.” You’re the only one you can blame for the things you do and don’t do. Remember that your competition is always out there and it’s up to you whether or not you can stay ahead of them or not.
9. Team up with a friend or family member.
Overcoming any addiction or bad habit is hard to do alone. Reach out and team up with a friend or family member that you’re close to for support. Set goals together and let them know how much their help means to you. Some friendly competition can also get you motivated to push yourself harder and break out of your bad habits.
10. Donate your DVDs or sell them for cash.
If you have a TV addiction, chances are you have a large DVD collection as well. I used to have close to 100 DVDs but I’ve cut that down to 50 which I still think is way too many. Before I started blogging I used to watch 2 or 3 DVDs each weekend, but I haven’t touched most of mine in two years now. So I’m giving away a bunch of the DVDs I have left to free up more space on my bookshelf and have fewer things to dust!
If you have the patience you can also try to sell your DVDs for cash at a garage sale or online. You probably won’t get that much but it always feels good getting paid to declutter!
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Great article and great comments. I too have struggled with procrastination. I just recently read a great book titled, “Stop Playing Safe: Rethink Risk. Unlock the Power of Courage. Achieve Outstanding Success” by Margie Warrell. It has made me want to work harder at being more productive and to stop procrastinating to make the changes and take the chances I’ve always wanted in my life. I appreciate the tips offered here! Thanks everyone!
Thanks Betty. Sounds like an interesting read. Courage really does have a lot of power to it and enables us to grow in ways we never thought possible before.
I have personally cut out tv recently, and so far I haven’t missed it one bit. I would have to wholeheartedly agree with your using a library card and going to bed sooner and waking up sooner parts. I have been getting up at 5:30 or so every morning and it feels great to be able to get so much accomplished before most people even get up.
Nice job Bobby! You’re an early riser at 5:30. I’ve been getting up around 6 this week and it’s really nice having more time in the morning to get things done and out of the way.
Another way is to do TV night. One time a night you watch TV similar to movie night. I am a fan of certain TV but not the garbage that you find nightly. Plus the quality is pretty amazing so it’s good to pick and choose wisely so you can appreciate all the accomplishments.
There certainly are a lot of bad shows and so many new series get cancelled before they’ve even completed half a season. I never watched Hannibal but I heard that show just got cut within just a couple weeks.
The one thing I love about TV is the quality now. Almost like being on set w/ the latest LED TVs! I do a lot of multi-tasking, which kinda ruins the watching experience.
I’d rather be producing and interacting online than watching TV. But, I’d rather watch a great moving at home than pay $10+ for a movie ticket in a crowded theatre!
Multitasking is good to try when watching TV but not everything works that well. I gave up trying to write and watch TV at the same time because I couldn’t concentrate on either one, and I’d only end up writing about 25 words an hour lol. Working on my photo library, cleaning, and folding laundry have been the most efficient types of multi tasking I’ve found. But ultimately I can do all of those faster without the TV on all together!
I implemented this a month or so ago and was surprised by how much more productive I was when I didn’t watch tv. It’s crazy! Now to be clear I am a tv addict and will not be giving my addiction up anytime soon. But there are set dates where we don’t watch tv, that’s the best thing about having a DVR.
It is crazy I know! I don’t think I could ever give up TV completely either because I do love it as a fun, cheap, and simple form of entertainment. Cutting out the “junk” shows and only watching movies that have great reviews has helped me a lot. I used to watch almost every new release regardless of the review and that wasted a lot of time.
It’s definitely nice to reward yourself after a large section of work, etc. Great points about going “cold turkey”.
Thanks Mike. I used to turn on the TV as soon as I got home and then I never ended up turning it off until I went to bed. Now I get through a few errands first, do some blogging, and then turn it on if I have something I really want to watch. I also cut back a lot on the weekends which has helped me stay more active and get outside a lot more. It’ll be refreshing when the summer comes because I plan to watch even less than I am now and the weather will be better too!
Really great points Sydney. I got rid of cable (It was $140/month saving for so much gain!), got a library card and not only do I watch less TV but it is also much more enjoyable TV when I do. Quinn
Yep it is crazy how expensive cable can get! That must feel great saving $140 a month. And it’s nice to hear there are more library fans out there. If I ever leave SF I will definitely miss the public library system here because the resources are fantastic and there are so many branches all over the city.
I am trying to cut back by not replacing the old shows by new ones. Never watched Walking Dead or Downtown Abbey so I don’t miss watching it.
That’s a good strategy. It’s also smart because so many new shows end up getting cancelled in the first year. I had this happen to me with a lot of shows I really started to get into, and then would just get so disappointed and frustrated when the network cancelled them. Without getting any type of closure on those stories really feels like I wasted my time.
I used to watch a lot of TV when I was younger. Eventually TV just got more dull over time as it felt that I was just watching different versions of the same thing.
I would recommend cutting back TV consumption slowly over time by removing those shows you just don’t find very interesting any more. The trick is to have something more engaging to replace them with. Like a hobby or a book.
You’re right that there is a lot of repetition across channels and shows. Especially when it comes to reality, hospital, and crime shows. The themes and story lines are so similar that there aren’t many surprises any more.
We bought a 42″ smart tv last year. However, we hardly ever use the smart tv features and if I could go back, I would have bought the 45″ dumb tv for the same price.
I don’t actually watch a huge amount of TV. I have a half dozen or so prime-time shows that I usually DVR and watch on the weekend, plus sometimes I just want to veg out or have something other than music to listen to while doing housework. I probably watch about 10 hours per week when I’m working and 15 during the off season.
For me procrastination is so deeply internalized that it isn’t even about distractions. The TV is upstairs and the computer is downstairs. You could put me in a bare room with just a word processor but if I don’t have some sort of external deadline to work against, I’ll just sit there and daydream instead of write.
Yeah I’m not into the Smart TV thing. I don’t use Netflix for streaming and I almost always have my laptop with me when the TV is on so there’s nothing I’d need a smart TV to do.
10-15 hours a week is a reasonable amount. I can’t believe at one point I was watching 38 hours a week, wow what a time sink. It really took me adding up all the hours I was watching to realize I really needed to kick my watching habit.
I do Hulu and Netflix almost exclusively, but I wouldn’t want to give either up! I mostly use them when I’m doing housework, carrying my laptop from room to room. It slows down cleaning, but it does make it more tolerable!
It is nice to have something on when cleaning. I like to turn on the radio with some type of fast beat song to get me moving. I’ll also fold laundry and watch Modern Family sometimes which takes the chore out of it but definitely slows down the process. 🙂
I have never watched much TV except for sports. There are two kinds of people in the world: content creators and content consumers. I have two websites, which means I need to spend my time creating content for the enjoyment of those who prefer to consume.
That’s a neat way to look at it. I used to be only a content consumer and it was fun but I never felt that fulfilled. Now that I’m blogging I get a nice blend of both and I feel more balanced.
We had allowed our girls to have TVs in their rooms, but then we took those away. It was hard to explain that it wasn’t for punishment, we just think it’s better this way! Watchign less TV is really a way, also, to not even be more productive, but just to be “there” more. When we flip off the TV, suddenly we have to talk with eachother. So we’re not doing anything more productive exactly, we’re just talking more with eachother, helping eachother with dinner and all that stuff. So not really productive, but just good in a different way.
I think that was a really good move. I remember wanting a TV in my room so bad when I was living with my parents but thank goodness they didn’t let me have one. I would have probably watched sitcoms 7 days a week late into the night “in secret” instead of doing homework or sleeping.
Being away from the tube does make for much better conversations and interactions. I find my attention drifting unintentionally if I’m having a conversation and the TV is on. Even boring commercials can make my eyes wander because there’s images flashing on the screen.
I have a running list of things I do around the house, little things to reduce clutter, grime, and the like. Many times if I’m tempted to plop down in front of the TV, I’ll grab my list and see if there’s anything I can get done instead. That keeps me motivated and probably saves me a bunch of time.
We cancelled Netflix a couple of years back and that has helped, because if I had access to all the movies they offer, chances are I’d watch more of them.
That’s a smart method to stay motivated and away from the TV! I tried Netflix’s streaming in a free trial a while ago but cancelled it because I wasn’t impressed with the offerings they had. It’s convenient for watching older movies and TV shows on the fly, but none of the new releases are available right away.