Lessons From a TV Free Life (1 week in)
See the look in her eyes? That is the look of being lost in TV. I have seen the look in my own child’s eyes, and I have felt that lost many times. Not only have I felt lost in TV, but I have looked forward to the feeling. I have never lived anywhere without a TV (or 2 or more). Growing up, when I heard about families that didn’t have TV, I felt sorry for them. I thought those families must be crazy or deprived. I was wrong.
Last week, I finally did it. I canceled cable, and decided to finally live a TV free life. Honestly, it never even occurred to me to live without 500+ channels until about a year ago. Maybe the thought had crossed my mind before then, but I quickly dismissed the thought as slightly insane. Why would I want to give up the one thing that is always there for me at the end of a tough day? How could I abandon something that entertained me, and made me laugh and cry? And then, of course, the TV offered so many learning opportunities for my daughter, that I couldn’t possibly give it up! (not)
What I’ve learned after being TV free for one week?
Canceling your cable is FUN! When I called Comcast, after holding for 20 minutes, the first question they asked when I told them I was canceling service was, “Why do you want to cancel your cable?” I responded, “I’m tired of TV. I want to live my own life instead of watching TV characters live theirs.” Without missing a beat, the Comcast rep responded, “Well, I can give you a better deal.” Hmmmm…a better deal than living my own life? We went back and forth until I finally said, There is nothing you can do to change my mind.
Other people live a TV free life, and they are fine. Bill from The New Pursuit has been TV free for almost 3 years with 3 young children.
There are better ways to unwind. When I had TV, I used to look forward to certain nights because my “favorite shows” were on. That being said, with hundreds of channels, I could always find something to watch, even on the off nights. I thought I needed a few minutes hours of television each night to get over my work day. As it turns out, hiking, trail running or making pizza dough from scratch, all unwind me even better.
My 14 year old daughter will survive. Change is tough for a teenager, and then they can make it tough for everyone else. One of the reasons that I didn’t cancel cable sooner, is that I knew it would make my daughter mad. She’s had TV her whole life, and I wasn’t really sure it was fair to take it away. Now, only one week later, I know it was the best decision for me and for her. Even though she gripes about the change, and jokes about moving out, she already seems happier and is more present. She spends more time outside, with friends or with me!
I eat less without television. I know you probably never do this, but I loved to eat in front of the TV. If it was a tough day, dinner in front of the tube was a treat. Otherwise, a bowl of chips or a sweet treat would always hit the spot. Now, without TV, I move more and eat less, naturally.
I really like spending time with my family. Of course, I knew this before, but now that there aren’t two TVs running each evening, our family spends more time together. It wasn’t so long ago that I was more curious about Dr. Derek Shepherd’s day, than my own husband’s, but now, my man gets my full attention!
People think I’m weird. Most people don’t understand why someone would choose to live without TV. They think it must a money problem or that I’m just not right. I can live with that.
Visit thenewpursuit.com for great TV free resources, inspiration to stay TV free, and ways to experience a new way of living.
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56 Responses to “Lessons From a TV Free Life (1 week in)”
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Congratulations! I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, we just watched over-the-air TV, and didn’t pay for cable. As an adult, it just seemed stupid to me to PAY for TV as a result, especially because I’d also be paying for ads!
Now, I do have a TV which I use for watching the local news and movies from Netflix or my library, but that’s about it. The dearth of good programming means I turn it off right afterward.
As a side note, one of my best friends as a child was from a no TV home – and she and her sister were the kindest girls in school. I have a hunch that their lack of exposure to the crap on TV made them better human beings.
Great post. I’m glad you decided to take the plunge and cancel the cable. I did the same thing almost three years ago. It was hard at first but I adjusted quickly. Now I realize it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done! I started a garden and have more time to prepare healthy meals. I read a lot more too.
I do have an antenna so I will watch some programs on network television as well as some DVDs. But that is what I call “conscious TV”, where I plan to sit down and watch a scheduled program. When it’s over I turn the TV off and go on about my life. There’s no more “mindless TV” where I just sit down and flip channels until I find something interesting. That is a major time suck!
My husband and I have been tv free for almost three years and don’t miss it one bit. We decided when we moved to Arizona that we wouldn’t take our tv with us…..best decision we ever made. Our married life is much better without tv than with. We still watch baseball on the computer but we pick the game we really want to watch. We also have computer free days/weekends just to make sure we aren’t trading tv time for computer time.
And I find the thing that cracks me up the most—-the look on someone’s face when they say “did you see what happened on (insert show name)” and I say ” I don’t have a tv, so…no” and you get back this totally confused look of “Whhhhaaaat” as if they never considered that I wouldn’t know what they are talking about! Now that’s cheap entertainment.
I will be selling my nice big LCD TV in the next couple weeks. I’ve gone my whole life with TV. I am looking forward to breaking the addiction.
Thanks again for the mention, Courtney. Reading through the other comments, there seems to be an awesome trend of letting go of “the magic box”. I’m trying to think if anything significant happened three years ago…
@ Awurrlu –> Sometimes we think (only for a moment) our kids are at a social disadvantage because they don’t watch TV. This is particularly evident around gift-giving holidays when they seem to reflect a lot of the chatter that is happening in their schools. But you know what, my wife and I do believe that because they are focusing their time on other more productive things, they will have an advantage in the long run. Time will tell…
Hey Courtney,
This is brilliant! It is funny because Raam Dev (who is really an amazing person) left a comment over at icebluebanana.com today in which he mentioned the idea that reading a (fiction) book may not really benefit the reader in the long run as much as that read hoped.
TV has always been one of those things that I struggle with. That is, I find myself knowing that I have other things to do but then get sucked into some story about something that really has nothing to do with reality.
And perhaps that disconnection with the real world is the reason that I get stuck. But there are so many better things that I know I want to do with my time.
Thanks for the inspiration!
This is a fantastic post. Although, I must admit that I’m thinking of calling Comcast to cancel just to negotiate a better deal. I love the concept of your blog!
Wow, that’s fantastic Courtney. It shouldn’t be so rare and admirable but it is. We accept what’s thrown at us, what the norm is and yet, like Awurrlu noted, we didn’t have massive amounts of TV when we were kids, and I have a feeling we were happier and thinner. Okay, but on to my pressing matter — How do I convince a household of sports fanatics to give up TV? I’m ready, but they’re not.
Katie, my family wasn’t ready as I was but I kept talking about it, mentioning the savings, the free time, and the other benefits and my husband said “do it, get rid of it”. I canceled just before the Tour de France started and my husband is heavy into cycling. He hasn’t complained once! My daughter still isn’t really ready, but doing fine! Just do it and see what happens!
Hi Courtney, Fabulous post! So glad I subscribed.
I was one of those who grew up without TV at all starting at age 7. Even when we had it, we never really watched much since we were usually outdoors doing stuff, going caping, or whatever, plus reading was big in my home. Then we moved to a remote area with no reception and no cable access. We tried once in awhile but no luck. So I heard what was going on with Happy Days from friends at school lol Nobody else I knew was really a TV addict anyway, since we lived in the country and rode horses or ice skated etc. Lots of reading! Especially in winter.
So now as an adult I rarely watch TV–I shut it off awhile back–same exact thing with Comcast! LOL They’re trained in loss prevention tactics
I turned it back on, though, because I missed the Weather Channel lol So now I’m spending $60-some bucks to watch the weather channel every few days. What else is there? LOL Good at election times, and stuff like that. Love animal shows on Discovery channel…but rarely watch even that so better shut it off for good.
Yay–glad to know I’m not the only one
I’m glad to hear it, Courtney!
I made the mistake of shelling out for an LCD about six months back, only to watch it gather dust as I devoted my time to different pursuits. Guess I’ve never been much of a TV guy, but video games used to take up a lot of my time, so ditching the flat screen never really seemed like a viable option.
Still, what little TV I do watch can be done on a computer, so I doubt I’ll hold on to that TV much longer. Thanks for the inspiration to do so!
Wow! I am overwhelmed (in a warm fuzzy kinda way)these are GREAT comments. Thank you so much for letting me inspire you and for inspiring me right back.
You are the best!
Courtney
I love watching TV but there’s was a certain point in my life that I completely ignored it. Though I think that having TV is a necessity, mine is always turned off most of the time. Even if its on, I focus more on productive activities than watching.
Still, I admire your conviction of totally freeing your life of television.
good. tv is all stupid stuff. when i was a kid, it was limited and shows like Lassie, and Lucy – they were fun and full of good. now it is just all drama and dumb stuff.
pve
I envy you. Picturing our life without TV is hard to do – but it sounds so peaceful! Congrats!
Amanda, You could always try a test drive and just physically disconnect the cable or tvs for a week and see what happens. It’s pretty great!
Congratulations on going tv-free! I cancelled my cable 2 1/2 years ago and haven’t ever missed it. If there’s something I really want to watch, I just watch it online. That doesn’t happen too much, though, because cancelling cable showed me how little I really miss it when it’s gone. I used to think I would DIE if I didn’t know what happened to my favorite tv characters next week. But, kind of like when you cut off communication with an ex-boyfriend, they eventually fade from your mind and you get to a point where you could care less! Your own life is more important, and without tv, more interesting, too! Hope your kids survive – I’m sure they will be fine.
Thanks Maggie, my daughter is doing great with the change and she seems more calm and rested. There’s no going back now!
Thanks Courtney,
We’ve been without a TV for almost 3 months now. I wasn’t much of a watcher anyway….but it’s so wonderful to not have that thing running all evening, during the precious little time we have at home. Once the TV disappeared, we did more cooking together, talking over dinner, sitting on the deck (you know I love the chirping bugs and frogs in the evening) went to bed earlier and got more rest. Our quality of life improved!
Thanks for the great post! Enjoy your newfound time with your family!
Jane
Jane, Even though it’s only been just over a week, I am already noticing the things you mentioned – longer dinners, watching hummingbirds on the deck after dinner, and for sure more rest. I thought it would be tough but it is really a joy!
About 4 months ago I realized that I’d just watched a TV program that I didn’t like and didn’t remember anything about it. That was my catalyst. The next day I phoned Comcast and canceled the cable TV service. That went quickly, but I got a call-back 2 days later from a “supervisor” who “understood I had a problem with my cable”. She was a little taken aback that I just didn’t want it any more, because I no longer had a TV. Her immediate question was “when are you going to get another one”. I said “never – I have decided that I have better things to do with my time than watch TV” and she really didn’t understand. I put my TV on Craigslist and it was gone in a couple of weeks.
I had only had a TV for 3.5 years, as an experiment. The experiment was a success – I have determined that the few things worth watching can be watched online or via Netflix, on my computer and I now have the time for reading again.
What surprised me was the feeling of “loss”, typically when I was really tired, and the feeling that there was an “entity” gone from the house. A noisy, intrusive entity
Courtney, Kudos to you and your family for taking this step. My BF and I have a TV but seldom use it to watch TV shows. We watch a movie from Netflix.I never made a conscious decision not to watch TV; I just never got in the habit of watching it. There are so many other things to do instead.
I totally agree with what you’ve written. I just challenged myself to going a week without the Tv (I’m a 21 year old college student whose always had a TV around). The first few days were really hard, and by the time I got home at night all I wanted to do was space out in front of the Tv for a few hours. By the time the week ended though I realized I was keeping busy with other things that I enjoyed so much more (like being with friends, and going on bike rides). Although I’m sure I’ll watch TV again (on the occassion) I’m really hoping to stay away from it as much as possible, and who knows, maybe I’ll even get rid of the Tv in my bedroom!
Sarah, spacing out in front of the TV used to take up so much of my time. Now, more than a month later, I don’t even miss it. Keep it up! Thanks for your comment, Courtney
My wife and I have been TV free for at least 3 years now. There is no going back. We don’t know how other people find the time to watch tv. We spend our time cooking, walking the dog, reading etc.
Ryan, We have only been TV free for just over a month but I can’t imagine how we would fit it back into our life!
We gave up the dish for two reasons one the cost. I lost, temp assignment ended, a not bad job and could no longer afford it. The other reason was my apartment was cold. A cold apartment, how does TV make your apartment cold? Well, the cable wire kept the padio door from closing. So we spent all last winter freezing so we could watch TV. Very stupid!
We are finding other forms of entertainment on the Internet. I am reading reading more. I have to admit I still miss TV and I do turn to the web to watch pro wrestling but that is 4 hours a week not 8 hours a day. To me much progress.
Tam a budding Miminalist
My wife and I have live without a tv since 1985. I had already been tv free for a year before we got married. We agreed to “try it.” Apparently, it’s working. I have never missed it.
Whenever I am at a friend’s house and the tv is on, I remember why I don’t want it in the first place. When we went tv free, there were about 20 or 30 channels of nothing to watch. Now, there are 500 channels and there is STILL nothing worth watching.
John
husband, musician, blogger, minimalist
I grew up without a TV. My family owned one and watched videos once a week or so, and my Mom would hook up the antenna to try and watch a football game at Thanksgiving, but that was all. I am so glad my parents made that decision, I have never regretted it! It did help that many of our friends didn’t have TV either, so I was never left out of conversations because of that.
Currently my husband and I own a TV, but it’s only hooked up to his PlayStation. He can watch sports on his computer, and I sometimes look up the few shows that I like on Hulu. The only side effect is that when I’m in a house or a restaurant that has a TV turned on, I get very distracted by it. I’m not used to being around this noisy, bright screen that demands all my attention! Other people seem to be able to ignore it better.
Technology is our friend. Technology can also be utilize to help us to evolve towards a better society in the future. The problems come when technology is being abused and misused. The mainstream media has been doing this for years. It’s called brainwashing. Why have we let ourselves to the point of “just accept it as the norm” type of mentality. Lets start thinking “outside of the box”. As the saying goes: “Garbage In. Garbage Out”. Technology is our extension of human performance. We just need to utilize it properly and constructively to build a better society/world.
Better living through technology if it is done properly and with care.
This my second year enjoying our TV Free live. As most of the folks who commented still own an average size Television set that is utilized only for playing Wii games and occasional DVD movie. But I tell you, live is so much better that I could never have imagined. Initially we were very skeptic that how we’re gonna’ survive witout a Television since this device had been the focal point of my family life ever since I knew this world. But my wife and I made this transition and now I will never giv up this life style.
Now all of the sudden despite haveing a very rough day at work, I have all the time in the world to have one on one conversation with my wife and my girls and have a delightfull family supper. And even after homework help and routine activities we still have time left over a good read.
One thing that I have noticed that, once TV is out our life my children are reading more, socializing better and doing very well in school, specialy my eldest one who was diagnosed with ADHD and now is doing much better in focusing in school. We are really glad about this discision and hope soon more and more people realize this.
I have been going over and over this in my mind. I really need to break watching tv and I think I will cancel my cable. The only thing is I would like to keep my internet. I would like to cancel cable for the time suck that it is and to save money. My cable/internet service just went up and I can’t see paying almost 100 bucks a month for it. Imagine that money going towards savings or a vacation. Yep.. I think I will be cancelling it today.Thanks!
Courtney, are you still tee vee free??…i’ve been TV free for over 15 years…it’s the best possible life.
Cheers!
gaylon
From the years 1975 to 1979 I watched 10 hours of television. Period. Those were my college years filled with classes, homework, projects, activities, interaction with my classmates, etc.And to this day, I can practically name the programs that I watched during that time frame: SNL for a couple of shows; a BBC show called Badger Watch when I lived in London, a Today show piece featuring one of our professors…etc. For the most part, those 10 hours of television were really boring and left me unfulfilled. Fast forward to September, 2012. I am separated from my wife, living in a basement apartment, and my landlady’s television set stops functioning. Now I back living in my house, my now ex-wife has moved across the county, and I continue to live without a television. It was fun, in fact, to tell DISH network that I no longer have a tv set. In fact, I put the 27 inch screen set out on the curb. Gone in 60 seconds. So now I gobble up the NY TIMES on Sunday, eagerly await the New Yorker, rent movies and tv shows from the library to play on my laptop sans commercials, listen to the Warriors basketball games on the radio and imagining the plays happening, cook more, listen to my old CDS more, take more walks, listen to tango music and practice the steps in my living room….heck it feels downright empowering simply living the life I dreamed of living. Yes, I do miss the live sport casts at times and the news but when I have the opportunity to watch them they look less interesting to me than before. And here is a real kicker. I no longer have an internet connection and do not want one. Yes, another time sucker. I do cheat though. I have it on my smart phone but the connection is so slow it is not all that pleasureable to access it. At any rate, I feel much more at peace and in tune with myself and definitely empowered.
I too have just tossed out the tv its been 2 days and this post has been great help,I was really addicted big time.I was watching my life go by i still have the internet which i use for movies and reading.
I am trying to give up television to. I know it is hard but I have to many hobbies that I can’t get to do because of tv. I love to work word search puzzles read cozy mysteries they are ones without swear words or violent content in them I also listen to old time radio shows from the 1940′s and 1950′s these are much more enjoyable now and make you laugh just as hard as they did back then. If I want to see tv I can always watch a Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple show on Youtube channel for my entertainment.