Want to improve your time management? You watch much TV? Does it make you happier? Richer? Healthier?
According to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans on average watch 2.7 hours of television a day. (And here’s data on TV and kids. More here.)
Me? I watch about 1-3 hours of television a week, nearly all of it commercial-free streaming Netflix and other services, shows and movies that I choose carefully and watch exactly when I want. I haven’t paid for commercial TV since 2006.
Time Management: What I Do With Those Extra Hours That I’m Not Watching TV
Let’s assume the typical case of an adult who primarily watches TV in the evening after work. Instead of watching the tube, here’s what I do with most of my evenings:
- Head outside and do tai chi and watch the world
- Do strength training at the YMCA
- Go for walks around Ashland, Oregon with my sweetheart Stephanie
- Sit with Stephanie on the couch and talk while we rub each other’s feet, or just sit and read
- Have friends over for dinner
- Go to bed earlier so I can get up earlier and get going on all the things that are truly important to me, from freelance writing to hiking.
How I Benefit by Watching So Little TV
You see it in the list above…
- I spend more time with Stephanie, so we have a deeper and more satisfying relationship.
- I spend more time outside, so I have a calmer mind.
- I spend more time exercising, so I’m healthier.
- I read more, so I learn more.
- I get more sleep, and my sleep is more restful.
Overall, I have more time for everything, including my freelance writing and everything else that’s important to my health and happiness.
I Do Watch Some TV…
I watch a mix of educational programing, travel shows, a bit of drama, and a lot of comedy. TV helps me learn, but it also helps me unwind and relax, and sometimes we all can use some mindless entertainment.
Some of the shows I’ve watched over the last year:
- BBC Earth series
- BBC/HBO Rome series
- The Office
- House of Cards
- West Wing
Your Take
How much time do you spend watching television? How does it affect your time management and productivity? How does it benefit you? Harm you? What do you watch?
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Arrg! I’m terribly guilty of this! You so right about how much time it wastes and how much more productive one can be! Thanks for this post.
Glad it helped Deevra.
When I’m tempted to watch TV (or wander the Internet), I make myself do something either healthy or useful, like going for a walk or doing the dishes.
Hi John,
I watch a lot of TV shows and movies that I find intriguing, but I definitely don’t watch TV in the traditional sense. I also try to do the watching on a break, or during a cold.
I also try to make the most of my viewings by using them for inspiration. I run a movie/series blog, but it’s common practice to use analogies whatever your topic is. I should also mention that I do write screenplays. So it helps to see what works, and what doesn’t.
I should work on watching less for productivity, but I’m ruthless. The moment it gets boring, I hit the fast-forward button or just stop watching completely. Same goes for movies.
P.S. House of Cards is on my to-watch list because I love Kevin Spacey. The Office (UK) was mandatory for an HRM class in college. : )
You had to watch The Office for a human resources management class in college: that is actually a very good idea because the show illustrates so many things NOT to do when running an office.
House of Cards is incredible. It helps if you have a strong interest in American politics, but it’s not necessary. Definitely has some dark moments.
The manager was in fact a walking, talking example of how not to be:)
HRM was one of my favorite courses, and I’m hoping to include it in my freelance writing specialties one day.
Sometimes a plot around politics includes more twists and manipulation than a spy show, and I like that. I also love the funny side of it. Spin City is one of my favorite sitcoms, for instance.
I only watch cartoons on TV when there’s something I like; otherwise, it’s just DVDs every other day. I used to watch more TV in the ’90s, but there’s nothing that really feeds my mind and imagination anymore. 🙂
If I want to relax, I prefer a good book or a puzzle to a mindless TV show.
Luana, I’m not sure what kind of cartoons you watch, but one of my guilty pleasures is Family Guy. Sometimes they go to far, but they are so funny when they are right on the edge.
More than I’d like, but not a huge amount. I mostly watch sports (if it’s a team I follow) and creative shows.
I love Food Network’s Chopped and Project Runway (although I hate, hate, hare the behind-the-scenes drama). I like the creative side – seeing designers make gorgeous outfits out of the craziest stuff – like a dress made out of red sombreros – seriously. 🙂
I am also hooked on NCIS (the original), but that’s the only series I watch.
My #1 form of entertainment is reading. I would say I watch TV about 7-10 hours/week, depending on the season.
Cathy, I watch some pro football in fall and early winter, usually at the expense of all the shows I listed above.
I know other people who like Project Runway. I watched a couple of episodes, but it just didn’t grab me, maybe because I’m a man.
I haven’t had a TV in… blimey, nearly 4 years! Like you, I watch shows and films on demand but I really don’t miss TV.
I know if I had one, I would watch it… a lot. I don’t miss it at all, the only thing you need to get used to is people asking you if you saw a program, and their reaction when you say you don’t have a TV. 🙂
Amy, I’m often left out of conversations at social gatherings because I’m not watching Homeland or some other current series on TV. I’m fine with that!
I’m a sucker for PBS/BBC productions – there’s just something about a British accent — even the Cockney version. We usually record the shows – Lark Rise to Candleford and Doc Martin right now — and watch them on Sunday evening. I also loved Call the Midwife. We used to watch the political news shows, but they’ve become wearisome, so TV watching — except for an occasional Turner Classic Movie — is minimal.
When you don’t watch commercial TV often, it seems very silly. I’ve also found watching TV right before bed affects my quality of sleep — the same goes with computer use. Besides — there are so many books out there, and so little time!
Cheryl, I rarely watch TV right before bed, and if I do, it’s comedy.
BBC creates top-notch content, like the Rome series I mentioned in the post.
I’m with Amy – I don’t own a TV and haven’t for ages. I sometimes stream stuff on my iPad that most watch on TV, but not much. I actually raised my kids without TV… wish I could say they were doing the same.
Every now and again I’ll end up in a hotel… the first thing I do is turn on the TV – takes maybe 10 minutes to remember why I don’t own one.
Anne, good for you for raising your kids without TV. When I was a kid we only had 3 channels, so I didn’t watch much. I was either outside playing or inside reading a book.
I was going to mention that Anne! Whenever I stay in a hotel, I get all excited about the novelty of a TV, but that disappears pretty quickly within a few minutes of watching it 🙂
What? Give up Judge Judy? My afternoon vice!
I can work with white noise and background noise. When I was in school I did my homework with the TV on, so writing with the TV or radio on is almost second nature to me. However I can not write if my husband is yakking on the cell phone and walks into the room where I’m working because he thinks I want to listen to his side of the conversation, so go figure that out.
Most of the shows I liked were from the 70’s. If I had the choice to watch a current sit com or watch a rerun of Happy Days or Welcome Back Kotter, I’d take the rerun.
Although I no longer have a Y membership, I do spend a lot of time outside. Having horses and dogs does that to a person.
Cheryl, I love being outside and typically prefer that to being inside, especially being inside watching television.
There is one current sitcom I really like: Big Bang Theory. Of course, I was a science guy for much of my life.
Hey John,
I don’t watch TV at all (apart from some TV shows and documentaries, but I watch all of those online).
Like you mentioned John, there are many advantages to giving up TV (Although you don’t want to miss good TV programs on BBC, History channel and so on. But, these days, most TV shows are just useless).
How was the Earth Series? I am currently on Episode 7 (Great Plains).
As for time management, I am still experimenting with that (right now, I am experimenting with fixed time blocks for each task. It’s going well so far).
Jeevan, I also do some watching online, including “Enter the Dojo” on Youtube (martial arts comedy).
All the BBC Earth segments are great!
I will give it a try 😀 Is it like a sitcom?
Thanks 😉
Here’s the link for Enter the Dojo:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxrd1I7wmE2chwpoqD4DSTA
I think it’s hilarious, but I have a broad sense of humor. It helps if you’ve studied martial arts at some point (I have), but that’s not necessary.
I got rid of my TV set in 2006. I was still a university student back then and TV was interfering with my exam preparations, so it had to go. The experience was so positive that I never bothered to get a new one.
First, because I suddenly had so much more time on my hands that I could spend on activities that are truly worthwhile and important to me (such as reading, writing, or spending time with friends and family).
And second, because it made me look at those marketing messages delivered through TV commercials more objectively: Buy this car and in no time you’ll be surrounded by super-models. That’s just plain nonsense, but being constantly bombarded with messages like that, I just didn’t look at them rationally.
Good for you Jan.
I primarily watch streaming Netflix, so no commercials that can alter my perception of reality, plus I save time.
Very good advice, John. We don’t even have a TV that works with cable in our house. We were paying for cable, but the TV broke sometime ago (the bulb fizzled out) and we’ve gotten along great without it. We do, like you, watch shows on our huge screen Apple computers with the kids or together (just the Dragonslayer and me), but these are streaming videos that we’ve chosen and want to watch.
Even when we did have a cable TV hooked up, we only watched about 5 hours a week and that was also educational programming or movies we rented via OnDemand.
Will we ever get a new TV and hook it up to cable? Probably. But, luckily, my husband isn’t one of those I hear others complain about that watches sports ad nauseum and sits like a zombie to watch mindless shows. I’m not either.
I hope our example will carry on with our children. You left out one thing parents (or couples) can do with the free time. *wink*
I did leave it out, but I was thinking about it!
I watch far too much TV. I have cut it down quite a bit, but it is still more than I would like. Fortunatly, a few of the shows that I do watch are ending this season (Dexter in particular) and I plan on not replacing them with anything.
If it weren’t for my wife and kids, I’d get rid of TV all together.
Great pos!
Michael
I enjoyed your article and agree with your points. There are a few I might add. I teach and consult in the field of applied neurophysiology, call me a personal trainer for everything above your neck! Watching TV or using computers is detrimental to your brain’s development and health. It’s not the content, mind you, although that is the subject for another time. It’s the lines and scan rate on the TV or monitors that affects the nervous system. thanks for your suggestion and tips.
I spend about 5-10 hours a week watching the tube and it does little to take away from my productivity. However, I have to admit when I do watch TV, my laptop is almost always in my lap so I can get some work done while I am enjoying a show like “Regular Show” on the Cartoon network. I also find watching TV helps me de-stress quite a bit as I work approximately 60 hours a week.
Hi John.
Very nice article. I think this can be considered a big problem, not only for us to manage our time, but also for our children. I think the disadvantages that it brings is too obviously. Gain weight, out of schedule, can not concentrate on business…
It can be a warn for all people who prefer Tv watching to outdoor activities.
Thanks for your information.
Stephan Wu
Guilty. Oh, so guilty.
I keep reasoning that when shows like Breaking Bad are over, I’ll have more time to read. But then Boardwalk Empire reappears, and, well….
Truth is that TV can, and should, stay off until 9 pm. There’s no reason why I need to see three more episodes of Family Guy. Instead, I could be lost in a really great book.
Lori, Family Guy is one of my guilty pleasures.
My partner Stephanie and I recently took a trip and spent three nights in hotels. It’s hard to turn off the TV when cable channels show six episodes in a row of Big Bang Theory.
Hey John,
I love the way u spent your time which you mentioned in “What I Do with Those Extra Hours”. But I don’t think that watching the TV is purely west of time, I generally watch TV 3 to 4 hours in a week and prefer news channels for current affairs and I think it is worthy.
Coleman, I do think watching some TV can be useful, and I mention in the post above what I like to watch.
it’s interesting, I heard a statistic that said that people are averaging 6 hours of TV a day, which is massive. Like you, I’ve thrown off regular TV for Netflix streaming, which is a great deal. If there is something I can’t get there, I’ll turn to Amazon or iTunes.
On average, I watch less than one show a week. I usually only watch TV with friends as a social event. I find that my time is better spent writing or reading.
Hey John,
I like the whole section “What I Do With Those Extra Hours” and I love to do same 🙂 but I think Not watching TV is a good idea. I usually use to watch TV at evening and prefer news channels which keeps me update with current affairs, and i think it is very good to stay updated.