I Broke Up With TV Last Year and We're Not Getting Back Together
When I turned off the television I discovered six hours a day for having a life.
By Steve Eakin •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Last year was the year that I finally broke up with my TV.
It wasn't really intentional, just a gradual thing. I'm sorry TV, I've just changed. I've fallen out of love. It's not you -- it's me.
Ok, that's a lie. It's you. It's definitely you.
I don't know what the specific moment was that had me turn off the damn TV, but it happened.
I'm just sick of it. Sick of the time wasting. Sick of the horrible jokes. Sick of the sitcoms with weak male characters. Sick of the same tired format. Sick of how easy it can suck you in and eat an hour of your time just like that.
I'm over this addiction. We're still friends though. I still have my shows that I watch. I'll still watch football on Sunday. I'll still chill out with some stupid cartoons every week.
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Hell, I'll still watch some informative, how-to programming in bed at night to help put me to sleep. (Yes, I know it's better to not do that. But I like it, so I'm going to keep doing it.)
I still pay for every single channel offered simply because on the occasion that I want to sit and veg out for an hour, I can do it without a limited selection.
But putting it on for background noise? Using it to kill the time? Nope. Done with that.
That's time better spent by reading, writing, working out, being outside, having a hobby, working on one of my businesses or playing with my family.
Not a tough choice here: Improve my life or be a zombie? Strengthen family ties or watch the same jokes with different actors every night? Get a new side hustle going or start at a box with my eyes glazed over?
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Most people I know are watching more than four hours of this crap every day. They don't even realize it, then they complain about being in a dead-end job. They complain about not having enough time to read. They complain that there's nothing on TV.
But when asked about why don't they go do something else instead, the answer is always the same: No energy. If you're too drained after work to enjoy the rest of your day, maybe you're doing the wrong thing.
Related: 8 Time Wasters Stealing Your Productivity
If you don't have enough energy to live outside your 9-5, maybe you should spend more time doing what gives you energy instead of draining your energy.
Twentyfour hours is a lot of time.
Sleep for seven, you have 17 hours left.
Commute for two, 15 hours left.
Work for nine, six hours left.
Six hours to spend time with your family. Six hours to enrich your life. Six hours to build your business. Six hours to enjoy a hobby. Or, six hours that can be thrown away watching garbage programming.
I'm done with that addiction. I'll choose life.
