Is Anyone Doing TV Turnoff Week?

  Dinner on the Porch 
  Originally uploaded by shinyrobot

If you are, please let us know how things are going.

Each year I do this my reaction never ceases to amaze me. The first day I'm thinking "Do I really need to do this? I don't watch that much TV."

But I do it anyway, just because I like to deprive myself sometimes ;-) and several times during the first couple days I find myself automatically planning some of my daily activities around favorite TV shows.

But then I catch myself.

When TV is taken out of the equation it's amazing how much time opens up, even when you think you don't really watch that much TV to begin with. You start to notice that the birds chirp throughout the day, not just in the morning. You dig out that old "books on tape" set that you started a while ago and never finished. You sit outside to eat dinner on the patio. You think "I might as well mow the lawn" (and it isn't even the weekend!).

The biggest difference I'm noticing is that there is a calmness to these days. It's like your brain has room to roam and spread out. I've also gotten much more work done, because for some reason as I've ruled out television, I'm also naturally not doing as much online socializing stuff. There is an abundance of time now, and I'm filling it with things that I've been meaning to do for a while, and also fun stuff (like shopping), and chores too. The days just feel more productive, more calm, and more satisfying.

Ahh, now I remember how I ended up giving up TV for an entire year the first year I participated in TV Turnoff week! The feelings of calmness are almost addictive (in a good way).

If you forgot about TV turnoff week or if you just decided today that you'd like to do it, just go ahead and start tomorrow, and abstain for a week. (Shhh-I promise that I won't tell the TV turnoff people that you're doing at an off-time :-) )

Comments

[Marty Marsh]

Sharon, I would love to just turn the TV off. It drives me crazy. But I live in this RV with someone who just can't seem to live without it. We have compromised with no TV early in the morning and none late at night. Otherwise, right now the Today Show is on, driving me nuts. Even with my partner using headphones is not perfect in that, where I sit to work, I can see the TV out of the corner of my eye and I must confess, I'm easily distracted.

So if anyone has any ideas about some additional compromise we might make to eliminate more TV while living in this small space, I'd love to hear them.

Marty

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hi Marty,

Oh, that's a great question. I'm sure lots of people live in houses or other small spaces (an RV is pretty tight!) where not everyone in the house wants to go TV Free.

We need some suggestions! Anyone? Please chime in.

Marty, with living in a small space, the only thing I can think to suggest is to perhaps get your partner's agreement to do a TV free weekend (if a week is too much to ask :-)) where you both go TV free.

I have lived with people who were TV addicts (or just did not want to go without the TV), and they hated the idea of going TV Free, but if I could get them to agree to go 3 days TV free with me, they usually saw the benefits and hopped on board more easily.

Maybe try working in smaller time periods of going TV free, like one day a week, or one weekend a month or something and then work up (if the other person is agreeable to this!)

That's a toughie--we'll see if anyone else has suggestions and you keep us posted on if you come up with something that works for the both of you in that tight space.

Cheers,
Sharon

[amanay]

hi sharon,
i gotta admit, this turn off tv week was one of the best weeks ever! i ve never read a whole book only in one week til now! i ve actually taken the resolution not to turn on my computer nor tv unless it's necessary...
a life changing experience? oooh yeah!

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hey amanay,

Yay! That's so great to hear :-) It has totally changed my life too (and I read a book last week too!) I got so much done last week, it's just insane. I'm doing what you're doing--don't turn on the computer or TV unless it's necessary.

Thanks so much for chiming in!

[KG]

Yes, I'm TV FREE -- w00t!

Here's an article you might enjoy. Very inspiring. It's titled "Gin, Television, and Social Surplus" by Clay Shirky:

http://www.herecomeseverybody.org/2008/04/looking-for-the-mouse.html

I'd love to hear your thoughts after you read it. It's inspiring a post for me.

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hey KG--

Yay! I'm so happy to hear that--I have extended my TV free week too, because I was getting so much done, and I thought "Why stop?"

Thanks so much for the article...going to read it now....

[Sharon Sarmiento]

KG--Wow, that was an amazing article! Very insightful and I never thought of that before.

TV was needed at the time it was invented because we had too much free time on our hands. TV masks a cognitive surplus!

And then we move on to social media, which takes a little more of our brain/time surplus, except it's different--we're not just mindlessly watching a screen--we're participating and creating.

"Media that's targeted at you but doesn't include you may not be worth sitting still for."

I think this may be why I think TV is a waste of time, but I will still work/play/create/share on the internet every day.

Thanks so much for sharing that article :-)

[KG]

Sharon — You're welcome! I thought the article was so insightful, too — I never thought of TV in that light before.

[Gavin Heaton]

Now, how did that all go? Actually I dont watch much TV anymore because it is all very average. But ask me to turn off a computer ... man, that would be a sacrifice!

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hee hee--Hey Gavin, oh I know what you mean. It is pretty easy for me to give up TV too, but it's an act of will power to keep my eyes off the net :-)

Thanks for chiming in!
Sharon