Without TV

Without TV

An interesting, but relatively simple twist came about in the life of my family. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it.

We have been without television for nearly a year now, and I’ve found it rather pleasant!

Having a TV or several in a household is so typical, that I think it may be considered a necessary standard-of-living commodity. It’s much more shocking to enter a household which doesn’t depend on one as a central part of daily life, and much more shocking to encounter a person who really doesn’t have one at all.

We do still have a decent TV, but no programming. We watch a lot of movies though our hooked-up DVD player – an option which I’m afraid will be following in the footsteps of the VCR.

Due to some ridiculous dealings with the television company, we’ve been using for over a decade, I cut ties, and, therefore, our access to television service. We have extremely limited choices up here, and none are reliable.

You can read about what prompted this event in the article linked below (also very relatable to Vocal and its treatment of Creators for the platform, ironically – they may want to step it up, as I’ve lived without TV this long, I’m pretty sure I can live without Vocal. And I know I’m not alone in feeling this way.)

I thought I may miss it as a way for escapism, time-wasting and keeping up on the news.

Turns out, I don’t. And actually, I find myself feeling less stressed and more productive. I also find more time to put toward researching subjects, or learning new skills, that I’d been putting off.

My husband and I have taken to watching a movie in the evenings. DVDs are pretty cheap now.

If I have an interest in what’s happening in the world (not a common occurrence – I’m finding I’m just not interested especially in the media spin and focus on the dismal), I can scroll through Google, or look things up online.

If I want escape or entertainment, I put on music or read a book. (I play music via CDs on the DVD player and read books in physical form.) Either of those options often lead to inspiration for writing! Watching television usually sucks the creativity and drive out of me – the opposite of inspiring.

More writing gets done, as well as cleaning and food prep. Instead of wasting my hours getting lost in some mindless program for an hour, then the nest – or clicking through channels just to find something tolerable to watch, I do the things that need to be done. And then I feel better anyway that it got done instead of procrastinated.

And I’m often outside, enjoying the beautiful days, taking a walk or spending time with my horses or pets, instead of confining myself to the comfy chair and letting another day drift by in mind-numbing programmed minutes.

It also saves us money, not having to pay a monthly fee or for equipment. I also found it irritating when they kept raising the prices, while removing options.

Sure, it’s convenient to have an expensive television package available on demand, but it ends up wasting more precious time than it’s worth, in my opinion. Having been without it, I realize my gains are far greater!

Thanks for reading! How much time do you find yourself wasting in front of the tube? Have you found opportunities by making unexpected changes? Have you decided to make permanent changes? Leave your answers in the comments below.