stop watching so much tv

Yesterday, somehow, I managed to sit in front of my computer and watch stuff on hulu pretty much all day. Very embarrassing. I watched the first three episodes of Glee, an episode of Bones, the newest Vampire Diaries, 8 (!!!) episodes of Fringe… holy crap! I needed an intervention. Can’t do that again.

I’ve just had so much going on that I don’t even have time for tv, I love it. I don’t even know who won big brother. And I don’t care. Life is so much better when it’s not lived on a couch infront of a screen.

Big brother, sad isn’t it? I have definitely been watching less tv recently, now that I have finished the wire. My one vice though is big brother, I can’t help it. I’ve got my tv watching down to and hour a day, of big brother. At seven hours a week, I think I’m doing well. It turns out that it’s not the watching tv that annoyed me, it’s the not doing stuff that got to me. I think as long as I am being active and getting involved in things it’s alright to watch tv.

Started off well, then someone introduced me to “The Wire”. After watching the first three seasons this week, I’m definitely over my 14 hour quota.

Well the fates are smiling on me. My two biggest vices (Battlestar Galactica and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) have finished.
BSG was awesome and no doubt i’ll get the dvds in some christmas sale. TTSCC was cancelled after the end of season 2, but at least there was an ending. That leaves me with Heroes and the occasional sitcom, unless i’m watching something with Sharon.
It also means that I have more time on my evenings off to get some writing or cooking done because I can still watch tv while cooking but The Simpsons is a lot less consuming.

I’m not going to go cold turkey, I’ve tried this before and end up spending a day catching up on everything I didn’t watch. I’m going to wean myself off tv. I’ll start by cutting it down to 14 hours a week.

I watch FAR too much TV. At the moment i’m watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Supernatural, That 70’s Show, Arrested Development, Heroes, and up until last week Battlestar Galactica. Not to mention QI, comedy sketch shows and the odd episode of something in between.

These shows aren’t the problem, they’re awesome shows. The problem is that I end up living vicariously through them. It means that whenever I have free time at home i’m on the laptop, tuning in and dropping out. I’ve even started feeling on edge if i’m making dinner or doing the dishes and i’m not watching something.

I need to cut down on my TV consumption and make it an end of day relaxation instead of a time off binge.

I’ve already watched 5 shows and a movie this week, and I really really really want to watch the premiere of ‘Dollhouse’ tomorrow. I’ll try again next week.

I dislike unquantifiable goals – what can I say? I was a science major.

I don’t own a TV, however the internet still provides me with plenty of TV shows. I’d say that on average I watch 1-3 42 minute shows a day – which, with download delays and buffering translates into 1 1/2-4 hours somehow linked to ‘TV’ a day. That is completely ridiculous.

My goal: I’m not going to go cold turkey; I am going to limit myself. I would like to watch three shows or fewer per week.

This week: I have watched five shows already – two on Sunday, three on Monday. I’m past my goal quota.

Complicating factor: I was re-watching LOST before I start the newest season. I just finished season two. Maybe I should refresh myself with the summary (or that refresher episode I heard played before the season opener)? It would take me a long, long time to get caught back up again at three episodes a week.

Complicating factor two: I’m not at my apartment this week, I’m staying with friends who own a TV. Can I avoid it here? We shall see.

Getting there. I am getting rid of the telly in my room today which should make a big difference. Especially since the TV in the living room doesn’t have cable (so there isn’t anything good to watch anyway). I really need to spend more time studying and doing “important” things.