Archive for the ‘Week 12 No Television’ category

Wednesday is now a greener No Electronics Wednesday

January 11th, 2010

This week is done and I am very happy that we are finished with this task.  The television can be turned back on.  I completely understand why Ashley assigned us this green challenge, but I am happy to have it back.  We have saved some energy this week, Ashley and I spent more time together and I also learned just how dependent we are on our digital devices.  A long term change did come out of this and we decided that Wednesday is not No Electronics Wednesday.  No television or computer on Wednesday evenings.

I think this will be fairly easy for us to stick with.  Since we have DVR and we also go to the gym on Wednesdays, I think it will be a good day to go without our electronics.  Hopefully, this will be better training for when we have children.  When we have talked about kids in the past, we both have agreed that we would want to change our television habits to better emulate healthy lifestyle.  Now, we just need to follow through. 

In the meantime, I am going to watch the season premier of Chuck tonight one day late.  My 56 inches of entertainment has come back into our lives, but hopefully with slightly better habits and more control.  Let me know your television (or lack of TV) story in the comments area below.

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Missing season premier of Chuck and saving the world

January 10th, 2010

This week is coming close to the end and I am thankful it is ending.   I am glad that Ashley assigned me this green task of not watching TV since it not only has saved some energy, but it is also pushing me to reexamine the time I spend in front of the television and computer.   I enjoy television, but I think that the biggest thing I could learn from this week’s experience is that I need to become more efficient at watching TV and my computer time.  I need to make more time for doing productive things NOT involving a monitor.

So, tonight I am going to miss the season premier of Chuck and it sort of ticks me off. On the other hand, I do have it recording on the DVR and will be able to watch it in about 3/4th of the time.  I talked to Ashley about possibly setting up ‘no TV nights’ and we have not set anything up yet, but will likely try and do this.

I think I need to also set aside time away from my computer.  This blog, my job, Facebook, Reddit and Twitter all take a good chunk of time.  I know that I am not going to quit any of these things, but I think I can probably make my time with these things more efficient. 

How many of you spend much of your time with your TV/computer off?  Tell me your stories about how you best manage all of the information chaos in your life.

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38 things to do besides watch television

January 9th, 2010

I have not watched television this week and thought it would be good to write a list of things we can instead of turning on the boob tube.  I know that I sometimes turn on the TV because I think I am bored.  Truth is, I am not bored and I know that I have plenty to do, I just choose to watch the dummy box.  Hopefully, I can come back here in a few weeks after I get back into the habit of turning on the TV to help myself find something better to do.

  1. Read a book
  2. Do some chores
  3. Play a board game
  4. Start a hobby such as collecting pennies or stamps
  5. Spend time with your spouse
  6. Play with your kids.
  7. Get caught up on the news
  8. Go fishing
  9. Collect all of your recycling
  10. Do something to make your home more energy efficient
  11. Play a card game
  12. Learn to play the piano.
  13. Write a story
  14. Start a journal
  15. Organize your cupboards
  16. Go out dancing
  17. Garden
  18. Go for a walk
  19. Learn how to juggle
  20. Listen to some music
  21. Make sweet sweet love
  22. Read a newspaper (then recycle it)
  23. Play Sudoku
  24. Do a crossword puzzle
  25. Write a letter to someone you love
  26. Take your dog for a walk
  27. Play with your kitty kats
  28. Bake something tasty
  29. Go on trip somewhere
  30. Clean
  31. Pay your bills
  32. Take up photography
  33. Volunteer at a local charity
  34. Go for a run
  35. Go to the gym
  36. Clean out your fridge
  37. Go on a date
  38. Do something for work
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