I remember seeing a bumper sticker back in the 90s that said “Kill your television!” I also remember thinking that was a rather harsh solution to a somewhat benign problem.
I was wrong.
Many of our lives seem to revolve around television. Who’s eliminated from “American Idol” or “Top Chef” is the topic of many discussions. What’s happening on “Burn Notice”? When is “Breaking Bad” going to come back on? What’s up with Larry David and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”?
KILL IT!
How much of our time is spent watching crap on the TV? Seriously?
I know we all need down time, and mindless entertainment — television’s specialty — is good for that. I also know that I am personally very bad about taking down time. I try, and sometimes succeed, but usually I end up remembering something else I need to do, like write a blog post, create a new website for a client, process some photos, work on a video. I can’t just sit there and watch “Ghost Hunters”. I can’t!
Admittedly, with TV I am probably one extreme. Are you the other?
Are you the person who has to record Letterman, “House”, “Biggest Loser”, and other shows, so you can keep up with what is going on. That’s all fine, unless, of course, the TV is interfering with your fitness goals.
Do you find yourself thinking, “I should work out, but, you know, I do need to catch up on all those back episodes of ‘Glee’ I have on the DVR….” If you end up with decisions like that to make — those kinds of decisions that should be no-brainers, and do end up being no-brainers, but in a different way — then you need to kill your TV, or at least wound it severely, so it will release its hold on you.
How do you go about doing that?
- Don’t turn it on. For an afternoon. Then for a day. Then for two days. Then for a week.
- Cancel cable or satellite. Save yourself some money. People complain that they can’t afford Tony Horton’s P90X but they drop hundreds each month on TV.
- Be more selective. Watch only limited run shows. Stick to half-hour sitcoms — you can watch them without worrying about following a season-long story arc. It’s all crap, so don’t let the crap trap you.
- Find more outside interests. Start a new hobby.
Of course, you could always kill your TV. Get rid of it. Perhaps my original conclusion was correct: That’s too extreme. Without a television, how will you work out with your Tony Horton’s P90X DVDs? (Hmmmm…. Guess you could use your computer for that….)
Here’s a song about killing your TV.