Most readers will know that I took a tv/movie fast late 2009. I blogged about my musings two weeks after beginning the television break here, as some were interested I thought I’d post an update. My fast lasted for seven weeks and I have to say for the most part I quite enjoyed the break. I most certainly had more time to listen to the radio; I began a bit of a love affair with Q during that time. It has to be said, Q rivals Vinyl Cafe for the title of Canada’s best export! My love affair with Q aside, I certainly found I wasn’t aware of needing to be home to watch something or keep track of what is on when, both were in fact, liberating. And I do believe I had more time to do read with less distraction!
The truth is, I think it was a very good activity and yet while I came away pleased I’d survived no television, I also found I don’t think tv is all bad. It is true the radio has fabulous news and one does not need tv to be aware of world events, yet I found I missed the rhythm of the nightly news. During that time I had drama in my life and yet I missed the peaceful relaxation of sitting in front of the box enjoying a Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte. I guess I came to see, like most things in life, tv is about a balance. It is incredibly distracting, incredibly time-consuming and incredibly mind-numbing if I let it be. It is, after all, my choice to turn it on or off. The fast made me see that I can take the good from the box and leave the bad, that I make choices about what to watch and how much to watch that either fit in with my downshifting, simple life or disrupt it.
One month after completing my tv fast, I’ve certainly changed. I remain determined to enjoy purposeful viewing and steadfast in my resolute to not be dominated or controlled by that box in the room. I’m trying to use the box as one tool in my toolbox of ways to acquire knowledge, broaden my mind or just relax. I’ve found my radio listening has continued to take up a larger part of my day than my tv viewing and I’m enjoying living life with a balance. I would like to have a day or two a week where I try not to put the tv on at all, and I think that is perhaps, the greatest challenge; there is just something about a television in a corner of the room that is all together too inviting! And yet, I’m convinced, with a bit of exercise and training in self-discipline, I’ll get to where I want to be without needing to be all or nothing!
Are you successful at having a television in your home and limiting the days you watch?
I personally think restricted TV viewing is harder than not watching telly at all. Then again, I am all or nothing type of person, and have no self control like you do
I love not having a telly now, so thank you for doing the fast last year, which inspired me to take the leap!
Well I’m glad I inspired someone!
I think I really struggle with self-control so it has been an area of myself I’ve had to put a lot of time into working on and exercising! I agree, I think it is much easier not to have one than have one and limit it. But, I’m working on it
At the moment I haven’t got the telly connected up except to the DVD player and have had this situation for more than three years. I do miss the cricket and the archaeology documentaries but I prefer to manage without these so that my daughter’s watching is not decided by the TV stations but by herself. I often think that before radio most people were only able to listen to music on a sporadic basis and find it very amusing that people these days cannot get along without something going on. I guess it depends on one’s personality and upbringing but I find silence gives me time to meditate and think and that I am able to form my own conclusions better than those whose poor brains are constantly being bombarded by outside influences. Congratulations on learning what is best for you! Cherrie
Cherrie, I am learning to love silence. Must do a blog post on that soon!
I think as you say its all about balance.
We have TV and I find I’m rarely drawn to it – I must admit I don’t even watch the news. Not terribly well informed of me I know.
At the moment I am watching Being Human, and my other half loves Family Guy so I’ll often just sit down to share a giggle with him over that. But aside from that I don’t follow soaps, X Factor or anything like that so that’s it. We’ve never had Sky so perhaps I’m missing out on the great stuff that would tempt me.
It’s not a conscious decision for me, but I just don’t find TV really adds anything to my life. Now blogs…they are a different matter altogether!
lol agreed re blogs Anna!
We don’t have a TV (haven’t for 5 years) and just watch DVDs or shows online. I do find that I watch a lot less TV, certainly I no longer come home and just switch it on and watch any flickering picture for an hour.
However, I find I am just as able to waste time with mindless internet reading- it starts with my regular blogs, then I click a few links; then I check out a couple of forums and read all the updates in a thread… I need to work to cut back on this!
I can relate Looby, though not with forums, more blogs for me!
I really enjoy the shows I watch, (i.e., news in the morning, Til Debt Do Us Part on Friday night, a bit of Food Network on the weekend) so I don’t think I’d do a fast myself, but good for you.
I also adore Q and Vinyl Cafe. CBC is such a great station-it’s about all I listen to anymore. I get excited when I get to drive to a client when Q is on-it’s like getting paid to listen to a fave show.
psychsarah – we have very similar taste! I too adore Till Debt Do Us Part! Sadly it is no longer on here in the UK but it is my very very very favourite money program!
I do watch some TV every evening but often the choice is so dire (even with a Freeview box) that we switch it off and chat or read. I’ve even given up with Coronation Street as it is just rubbish these days – and I’d been watching it for 30 years!!
I watch the news quite a bit and there are one or two programmes that are excellent – I’m especially thinking of the Swedish version of ‘Wallander’ which was recently on BBC4 – but much of TV is total drivel. I very much enjoyed ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ last week on Channel 4 and I’m looking forward to ‘The Apprentice’ resuming sometime in March too.
My problem is I can’t abide costume dramas, so that does limit my viewing quite considerably as the BBC are constantly screening the darn things!!
I too adore the Apprentice and the Slumdog shows have been brill!
I have never taken a television fast as such. I have always believed that the television is an incredible resource. Not only can it entertain you but you can learn so much from public television, crafting shows, the state of the planet, travel to other lands, in depth programs on topical issues, and of course news. You are right about sometimes letting the television encroach too much into one’s time. Maybe sometimes that is okay too as long as it isn’t a constant thing. I’ve found since I started blogging and getting involved in grass roots missions in Kenya (www.jonahsmissions.blogspot.com), I watch less television and now spend a lot of time on the internet though I never use it for listening to music or watching programs.
I agree joyful, I have several friends who watch no television at all and are not really into public radio, I find they significantly miss out on learning opportunities or the chance to see what is happening in the world. I like balance and purposeful viewing! Thanks for the link!
I found that if I watch telly in the daytime, nothing gets done, then I get depressed at all the time I have spent doing nothing. This then acually means that I spiral down. Depression runs in my family, and by recognising this little trigger, and some others, I have been able to be one of the very few not on medication for it.
So the telly is a big no, no for me. I only watch in the evenings if something good is on. Otherwise I fill my time in doing constructive things.
Sounds like a fabulous balance!
I have a TV, and I suppose it gets watched most days, but mostly it’s just a background noise really. I sometimes find that being home alone when the kids are at school can be quite lonely, so I’ll have the TV on for some company whilst I potch about the house (how sad does that sound!). However, I can’t think of anything that we absolutely HAVE to watch, and plenty of evenings go by when the TV isn’t on at all. I’m glad that my life isn’t ruled by the TV, even to the extent of having to record programmes when I go out. I’m not nearly organised enough to do that sort of thing anyway, and would end up missing my programmes after I forgot to set the VCR (or whatever the cool kids are using these days!).
I think that is the key, not to be ruled by it and to enjoy time without!
I have found over time that we watch less TV. We have never done a fast but we are looking in to losing our cable and just watching dvds, or shows on the computer. I don’t find that much these days that really keeps me riveted to the TV.
Blessings
Diane
There is so much you can watch via the computer isn’t there?
I too lack self discipline when it comes to conscious TV viewing which is why I only have the basic channels (only about 7 channels!) With a zillion channels to choose from when I had cable, I found I could never just pick one show and watch it from start to finish, I was constantly channel surfing, flipping back and forth between two or three shows. So, now I don’t watch TV much because there really isn’t much on I like to watch. I do miss the Food Network channel but I love the two PBS stations I have and have been known to become addicted to Survivor. TV can be a great resource but far too often what is on is just a complete time waster. I’d rather read, play games with my family, listen to the radio, etc.
Food Network and PBS are great! From my time living in North America, I just loved how British PBS was
About a year and a half ago, I decided to cut back on watching TV and one of the biggest lessons I learned from it is the effect tv shows and advertising can have on making me feel dissatisfied with what I have, what I own, what life stage I’m at. That was the biggest conviction for me regarding it, so I’ve pretty much kept it cut out ever since, although my husband and I do saddle up for episodes of The Office each week!
(I posted about my initial TV fast on my old blog here, if you’re curious!: http://lavieenvogue.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/lessons-learned-while-watching-re-runs/)
Thanks Carmen, I look forward to reading!
I think it takes a lot not to watch if you have one and it is very hard to totally shun tv. Some people are much better than I am!!!
Very true Kathryn, just seeing it in the corner of the room is a pull in!
I remember our family cutting out cable for a year and not really missing it. Also, when we didn’t have cable for a couple years and didn’t miss it…but we cheated because we’d end up watching dvds instead!
that’s good you didn’t miss it!!! Not sure i can say the same….!
I think it takes a lot of determination to do this. For so many tv is a cheap way to relax after working too hard for too many hours!
so agreed M!
No, I would not be successful if we had the TV available for watching! But, we don’t, it’s a dinosaur model that we keep in storage, and is a real pain to set up, what with converter boxes and bunny ears:) The husband will go through the hassle to watch live football, but that’s about it. I grew up without TV, so I don’t really miss it (except when I’m sick, or have just given birth and want to lie around all day!).
Sound like a good time to watch
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