America loves TV. But you don’t have to, and it looks like the TV-free movement is growing.
Why is TV the ultimate pillar of social glory? I understand TV has entertainment value, but I don’t see why it is the absolute central piece of entertainment. It amazes me a little that TV is the most popular form of entertainment, and that so many of my peers who grew up with TV can’t imagine living without one.
Life offers us so much more to experience, and yet we spend an average of 2.8 hours a day watching TV. What else could you do with 2.8 hours a day, or 20 hours a week? Taking a page from The New Pursuit’s 101 Ways to Escape the TV Trap, I provided a list of 21 activities. I hope you find this helpful if you’re looking to cut back on TV:
- Go for a hike
- Picnic in the park with some friends and a few bottles of wine
- Cook something beautifully scrumptious
- Volunteer for your favorite cause
- Garden, grow your own food, or learn permaculture
- Go biking
- Sketch, paint, sculpt
- Learn a new skill such as crafting, sewing, or carpentry
- Play guitar or another instrument
- Read a deceptively good book
- Play a board game – try Carcassonne if Monopoly and Risk aren’t your cup of tea
- Play sports, run, or walk
- Do yoga or meditate
- Spend time with a friend
- Write
- Take photos
- Take a free community class or go to a free lecture
- Meet new people, do new things at meetup.com
- Watch the sun set
- Go flower bombing
- Reflect on life while laying on a sunny patch of grass
See the infinite variety of activities you could possibly experience? This list could continue for quite some time. Also of note, each of these activities is free or almost free, mentally stimulating, better for your physical health, and emotionally supportive.
If you do decide to stop watching TV, you could end up with a life full of memorable scenes. You can create your own story.
If you’re a heavy TV addict, try going one day a week without TV. See how it feels. Plan to do one of the above activities, or create your own list of TV alternatives.
Feel free to add your own activities!
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends. Thanks!
I’m completely split about TV. On one hand, I recognize that it takes away valuable social/excercising/learning time. I actually heard a study the other day that similar parts of the brain are activated in both heavy TV watchers and people with imaginary friends. However, TV is arguably a valid art form and can even be a social connector between friends. Documentaries can be informative and very well done, storytelling can be insightful and clever, and having a favorite show between two people can be a very special thing.
Too much TV is plainly a terrible thing; I especially have qualms about parents who let their televisions substitute on their behalf. I think TV can be had in moderation, like anything else.
I agree, TV is a valid art form. It’s just that most shows today are nothing close to the kind of art I’d really want to see, and are instead just an attempt to keep you glued to the screen and make some advertising bucks. It can be a social connector, but that’s the thing too. It’s not the only way to connect people, and you can be socially engaged in other activities.
And yes, I love documentaries, and I think documentaries and viral videos are an awesome way of spreading a message or learning something new. Hey, I could learn sewing and gardening on youtube. I’m mostly against the idea of TV being ever-present, the only social connector available or acceptable, and also the parents letting TV substitute is HORRIBLE.
Great Idea for life. Thanks !
No prob! Thanks for visiting!
Lynn. I really liked your suggestions for things to do instead of vegging out in front of the TV. I watch one 30-minute show 5 days a week and have no desire to watch more. Actually I’ve read that the average number of hours of TV watched per day is 5 which seems like a huge waste of time. No wonder people say that they don’t have time to exercise.
Hi Madeleine, thanks for visiting! Glad you liked the post!
I’ve been tv-free for just over two weeks now, and my life really has changed for the better. I’m almost surprised that I don’t miss it! I love your ideas and wish giving up tv freed up enough time for me to do something new like #9, but I am on a “no new projects” mission until the end of summer!
Hi Courtney, sometimes I take on too many projects also. That just goes to show how much possibility there is outside of TV! Thanks for visiting!
Excellent post Lynn – we need less TV, and more people living life!
I got rid of TV 3 years ago and even now people ask me what I do in the evenings and weekends. The hardest part was convincing the TV license people that I didn’t have a TV anymore.
Here in the UK, every household that has a TV needs to buys a license – around £120/$200 per year. I invited the licensing people around to my home for a cup of tea and to satisfy themselves that I didn’t have one!
Its sad to see how so many children today spend most of their time in front of a TV or games module.
Lets start an online campaign amongst bloggers to stop watching TV:-)
Hi Arvind, Thank you for stopping by! Great job being hospitable to the TV licensers! A great way to prove yourself and make new friends =P
It looks like there’s already a campaign going amongst bloggers to stop watching TV! I’m excited for it!
I’m all for reading a good book versus watching something on tv. In fact, that’s why I spend so much darn time at Barnes & Noble (it’s my favorite place to read and find inspiration for new things to write about).
Hi Ricardo, thank you for your comment. I agree, I love spending time in bookstores and reading there. I find bookstores and parks to be the most pleasant places to read.
I’ve been cable free for over 2 years now and it kinda rocks. We still own a tv but it’s for watching DVDs or movies on Netflix (which also rocks). I can honestly say cutting the cable made such a positive impact on my life. It was like waking up for the first time to LIFE. This comes from someone who watched tv day and night growing up. It even shocks ME sometimes that I made the change
Thanks for this post. Hopefully with our powers combined more people will come out of the trance of television
Hi Vanessa, thanks for commenting! Great to hear you made a big change that brought you more satisfaction =D Netflix is great. I still have a TV, and still watch some things every now and then. Nothing wrong with TV itself, just the problem of being the ONLY activity. Seems like the TV-free movement is growing, good news! Take care.
HI I am a tvaholic sober today and for about 30 years, i dont miss what i dont see and im glad that others are finally going tv free~ and now here’s a question can we also engage in computer moderation? im a binge computer user
and a hermit in recovery blessings pauli
Hi Pauli, thank you for commenting. Computer moderation is something I could use for sure! I think the problem here is that people are using their computer for all their entertainment needs – reading, TV, music, online magazines, games, etc. Instead of having multiple devices, just have a computer and you can do any of those things. Blessings!
Hi Lynn
What have we come to?
For most of us TV has taken over our lives. We sit and watch and then complain about the quality.
Makes me want to shout… Turn it off!
Perhaps I should tell people to turn it off and then direct them to your list… I’m sure that they will find a better alternative.
Keith, thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Haha, yes please do direct TV addicts to my post for alternative ways of having fun.
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George HW Bush helped me eliminate TV from the homefront. I took his dictate to “Support our boys.” seriously and chose to do so by removing the propaganda machine from the parlor.
Recommended books by Jerry Mander regarding TV:
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&tag=mozilla-20&index=blended&link_code=qs&field-keywords=four%20arguments%20for%20the%20elimination%20of%20television&sourceid=Mozilla-search
and
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&tag=mozilla-20&index=blended&link_code=qs&field-keywords=four%20arguments%20for%20the%20elimination%20of%20television&sourceid=Mozilla-search
Nice work, Lloyd! TV is indeed a propaganda machine – I see that more and more every day.
Hello Lynn,
Liked your article. Very sensible advice. Every single one of the activities you suggest is better than the passive act of watching television. I always feel encouraged when I come across other people who have taken television out of their lives. I have set up a social networking website – lifewithouttv.org – to enable people to link up if they want to. It’s completely non-denominational and non-political so is welcome to all. It also has lots of useful articles to download and links on the subject of life without television. I think I already have a link to your article on there somewhere.
Good luck with encouraging others to do other things with their lives. There is so much out there that we can do and we only have one life to do it in. The more we can encourage people to see beyond television the better.
Regards,
Jim Goddard
Hello I only watch one 38 minute program every day but do it on the computer during lunch. I am a big fan of the Young & the Restless and look forward to my lunch each day to watch. What I do with the other hours of the day my biggest hobby is working Word Search Puzzles I subscribe to two books a month and they bring me hours of enjoyment. I also collect and listen to old-time radio shows from the 1930′s-1950′s You have every subject there that you would need and it is more enjoyable than tv. I also read alot I love to read Cozy Mysteries as well to pass the time. I am currently reading a great series right now called Tales from Grace Chapel Inn about 3 sisters who come together after there fathers death and turn there home into a bed and breakfast home but with a little discouragement from the towns people. I highly recommend this series.