Turn Off the TV Week

Ann M. Says:

April 24th, 2007, 0:48 am

I think the only time I watched TV last week was Saturday and Sunday to catch the Red Sox-Yankees games! And now that I think about it, I think I watched an hour of House on Tuesday night.

It’s not a big deal for me, but I can easily see how it could take up big chunks of people’s time.

Leo Says:

April 24th, 2007, 2:20 am

You are among the few lucky ones then, Ann! Were you rooting for the Sox or the Yanks?

Stephen Says:

April 24th, 2007, 7:50 am

This is an idea that I can get into. I recently stopped watching the news every morning and evening, then watching online all day. Too depressing. Now I just do a quick scan at lunchtime to see if anything big is going down.

David Hollingworth Says:

April 24th, 2007, 9:13 am

My wife and I have recently realized we were watching the TV for no good reason, the stuff on it was cr@p.

So now the TV goes off and we read most evenings (when I can tear myself away from bloggin’; but that’s another story).

By watching the TV I was just marking time; by reading I’m enriching my life.

Jose Says:

April 24th, 2007, 10:33 am

I’m not a big tv buff anymore. When I’m alone, I turn on the tv and put on the Jazz channel for some background music.

The only time I watch tv is when I feel really tired and need something (even stupid) to cheer me up. Or when I really want to watch a show from the history channel. Even then I don’t sit the whole time.

Computer (Video) games…now they are a different story…but I am making progress. I used to play 2-3 hours weeknights (and many, many more on friday-sunday). Now I’ve cut down the playtime by 50%.

I like this challenge because it’s easy to give up the tv. The challenge will be to give up more video game time :)

Masoud Says:

April 24th, 2007, 15:21 pm

Me and my wife stopped watching TV since last year! We actually don’t have a TV at home any more. If there is a video you really want to see, you can always find it easily online and watch it in your convenient time. It is like TV-ON-DEMAND!

You can’t imagine how much you can achieve just by using the time you free up by not watching the TV.

Guys, give it a try. It seems impossible at the beginning but you get used to it pretty soon and then, you can’t live WITH TV any more!

Jess Robinson Says:

April 24th, 2007, 16:54 pm

Hmm, does it count if you just regularly watch particular shows, and only when you give yourself time to watch them, not just because they are on? That’s the most annoying thing about TVs, getting attached to a particular show, and then having to be there to watch it. With todays technology it’s easy to delay and watch it when you like, so it’s more like renting films to watch, and not watching the TV ;)

Apart from that I only watch TV 20mins in the morning for the news.

Leo, when you mention “today” in your posts, can you also say what day it is? I don’t always read everything the day you write it (productivity, y’know? ), and I don’t see them dated anywhere..

Jess

Jay Wilson Says:

April 24th, 2007, 17:21 pm

I gave up television completely in the Fall of 2006 - I simply find much of the programming to be of the 4th grade level with very little stimulation. With the extra time I read more, listening to music/podcasts more, work out far more frequently, and work on my own blog. It’s been a very freeing experience that I recommend that every one try, even though it initially sounds like poppycock.

Ann M. Says:

April 24th, 2007, 20:32 pm

Oh definitely Red Sox! :)

and I agree about what other people wrote about television being annoying. Even just going to someone else’s house where they keep the television on the background drives me nuts. I am much more of a music person.

Leo Says:

April 25th, 2007, 3:28 am

Wow, it looks like I’ve found a lot of kindred souls here! I’m glad that some of you have decided to join the Turn Off the TV Week (or don’t need to because you barely watch anyway).

@Jess: you’re right, I should date these posts. When I said “today” I meant April 23 (Monday). Sorry about the confusion. I stopped dating the posts because I like to think of my posts as timeless, but that’s just a self-indulgence, I think.

Dario Says:

April 25th, 2007, 8:25 am

Great idea, Leo! I’m dying to hear about the “Turn off your computer ” week! It’d be cool to hear suggestions of other things to do when one is a computer addict.

paulkdad Says:

April 25th, 2007, 16:51 pm

We’ve had our TV turned off (to commercial programming, at least, we still use it as a monitor for our DVD player) since 1998. Occasionally we flirt with the idea of turning it on again, but it usually just takes one sitting to remember why we don’t watch the thing.

Our daughter actually craves creative activities and doing her homework more than she does watching television. That’s a pretty positive side effect. When she does watch one of her DVDs, we’re in control. It’s a conscious choice, and one that requires our permission.

For me, getting rid of televised news was the best. And what I found was that, far from feeling “uninformed,” I actually gained a perspective from which all the reactive mediated news tends to look the same. Like “cliffhangers” in TV drama, it’s simply designed to keep the viewers coming back for more.

Leo Says:

April 25th, 2007, 18:52 pm

@Dario: great minds must think alike … I have a post planned on quitting the internet addiction. Which I need to do myself.

Steve Schapel Says:

April 28th, 2007, 5:49 am

I’m with you on the tv turnoff. And I also enjoyed paulkdad’s comments. I haven’t had a tv in the house since 1971, and it is great. A big topic, that I won’t go into here.

I enjoy your blog, Leo. It is fine to look at your RSS feeds in my newsreader. But I normally do not come here. Funny, that’s for the same reason as one of the reasons I avoid tv. Ads. And because I’m tv-free, I haven’t been desensitised as some others might be. Just thought there was some irony there.

Sorry, I know it’s probably a significant part of your income stream, and all that. But a site with unsolicited advertising is not for me. So I’ll keep subscribing via a medium where I don’t have that thrust at me.

Bill C. Says:

April 30th, 2007, 14:18 pm

I’m guilty of being one of those people that leaves the TV on in the background. While it may sound like I’m wasting electricity or killing time with the TV on, 90% of the time my TV is on, it’s on CNN or a local TV channel for their evening news. I’m a news junkie, I love knowing what’s going on in my world.

I find that by leaving the TV on while I’m working at home, doing housework, exercising, cooking dinner, etc., I’m able to get the news that I’d otherwise be surfing the CNN site reading while I’m at work… and THAT is what kills productivity.

If you’re so concerned with the ads on TV enticing you to purchase items you’d otherwise know you don’t need, you don’t need to turn your TV off…you need to work on your self control. Either that or just buy yourself a DVR and fast forward through the commercials. There’s a few programs I watch each week (24, House, Jericho), and I’ve taken to watching them either the hour after they’re on or the day after they’re on, solely because I can fast forward through the commercials and save myself 20 minutes of time in watching the show :)

Leo Says:

April 30th, 2007, 18:13 pm

Hi Bill … turning off the TV is not just about the advertisements, although that is a part of it. It’s also about cutting down on the noise and distractions in your life — and of course, TV is just one of those distractors. I too used to be a news junkie … but I’ve completely cut TV out of my life (except for the occasional DVD) and it’s made a huge difference. And I don’t even miss the news anymore! :)