Turn Off the TV

Want to add hours to your productivity like magic? Want to diminish the anguish from relentlessly bad news? Want to be more educated and less bothered? Turn off the TV.

Five years ago, my mindless, robot-like addiction to the Television finally irritated me to the point of action. I would sit and watch one program that I wanted, then I would watch another program that I didn't simply because I was sitting in front of the tube like a rube. Eventually, my lazy TV watching became a daily habit. When the hours of sitting, vegging got added up, two extra work days produced themselves.

A book I read recommended the drastic step of eliminating TV. With an autisitc son who used TV like Prozac, this was not going to be easy for any of us. We would all suffer withdrawal symptoms. And we did. My husband came home with a sour look and foul attitude. My son ranted and raved and begged. I stood my ground, but experiencedthe shakes myself. No more Oprah! Gulp! I might fall apart. No more March Madness. No more Sunday or Monday Night Football (this seemed to bother me more than the hubby, if you can imagine).

It took us three years to truly purge the remnants of the vile poison from our systems. Something happened, unexpected, though. We expected to get more done. We expected to enjoy more time to fill as we wanted. We didn't expect the peace of mind and sensitivity to garbage.

Like addicts, we had become immune to some pretty awful side-effects. Seeing the starving, waring masses failed to impress. Watching the hyped up, nearly gleeful, news reporting seemed rational. Taking in the provacative and sexually charged advertising images caused yawns. We didn't even turn our heads or change the channel with the kids in the room. Snooze.

You'll notice that I bought a flat-screen TV for someone's birthday, just in time for March Madness. The basketball has been great. Seeing the news and the advertising has not. Sensational, titillating, degrading, smutty--who needs it? I absolutely hate it.

Some will say, "How can I stay informed without TV?" One word: The Internet. Get more news, more accurate news, quicker and far more informative than TV or radio can deliver all at your fingertips. My understanding of world-events has much improved since getting rid of the TV.

Having the TV back has not tempted me. Watching Oprah holds no allure. Watching Sunday morning talking heads holds even less. Thankfully, though, we don't have cable. I'm not 100% sure my addiction could handle being tempted by Interior Design shows.

Getting rid of TV will change your life--for the positive. If the days seem overwhelmingly busy, getting rid of the TV will help create time, much more than you even realise, to accomplish what you want. Oh, and there is this side-effect, too: the original article I read said that you'll get make more money without TV. That has been our experience.

Turn off the TV. Turn on life!