My TV addiction

In my last post I mentioned two articles/posts that give you useful steps to overcome TV addiction. Here are the 9 steps that I found most useful:

1. Make a list of all the shows and series you watch

This sort of inventory will show you how many hours a week you spend in front of the TV. Even though there are some addicts who watch almost twice as much shows as I do, I was shocked when I saw how long my list was. With the service from next-episode.net I set up a calendar a while ago so that I would not miss a new episodes. It also gave me a list of all the shows that I watch or have watched. Admittedly many of them already ended or were cancelled, but still the length astonished me.

Only taking into consideration the shows that are still running there are 19 TV series that I actively follow. With a couple of them having episodes that are only half an hour long it sums up to 12 hours of new episodes per week during fall and winter season and 5 ½ hours during mid-season.

2. Set a weekly target or limit of how many shows or hours you are allowed to watch TV per week

I set my target at 6 hours per week. This seems reasonable. It means 6 to 7 new episodes each week or 1 hour of TV each day. This is neither too much nor too little.

3. Cut shows off your watch list that are not worth it

To be able to maintain your target you will have to say goodbye to a couple of series. Luckily, since not every show has new episodes every week you don’t need to cut down to exactly 6 or seven shows if you can commit to watching only one hour of TV per day.

I decided to cut off reality shows and spinoffs from my list and a couple of other shows that are not the same as they used to be.

4. Multitask while watching TV

I already do this. While I watch my shows I do household chores such as folding laundry, ironing or cleaning, or I sort through paperwork or do some crafts or my nails. Although this seems reasonable it can also backfire. Sometimes I end up watching more TV then I intended to because I am not done with what I was doing while watching TV. Which brings me to the next point.

5. Only turn on your television to watch a specific episode and set a timer to turn your TV off when it ends

Many TVs have the option to program a “sleeper.” You set up a timer and your TV automatically turns off after the timer runs out. Alternatively you can set up a timer for the duration of the show and put it in another room. When you get up to turn it off you must turn off the TV also. If you watch TV online there are also ways to control it through programs. Self-Control, for example, shuts down you Internet or denies you access to specific sites for a predetermined time.

6. Make one day a week a TV-free day

I chose Wednesday, because usually there is nothing good on TV on Wednesday anyway and Sunday was not an option for me since I am also a Formula 1 fan.

7. Set up rules to watch TV

At the moment I only allow myself to watch TV after sending out at least one CV each day (Yes I am looking for a job).  After I find a job my rule will be to only watch TV after going for a 30 min run or doing household chores. You can also set up rules like not being allowed to watch TV while the sun is shining, or only after reading at least 50 pages of a book.

8. Do not eat meals in front of the TV

This will be difficult to follow until I move in with my boyfriend again. While alone I like to have some sort of entertainment while eating, so that I don’t that feel alone. I will probably switch to podcasts or radio.

9. Stop watching reruns (On TV)

There are some shows you can watch over and over again. For me its Friends and Gilmore Girls, I have watched both from beginning to end at least five times and it never gets old. But why submit to the schedule of a TV channel to watch them again? I will definitely watch them again, but from DVD and on my own schedule and in the order that I want.

What do you think? Are these steps helpful? Would you do anything differently? What is the most effective way to control the time you spend watching TV? Leave your answer in the comments :-)