potato breakfast casserole

Television. It can be an incredible waste of time.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I enjoy watching television. I enjoy watching Jack Bauer defeat the bad guys. I like watching Adrian Monk unravel the most hopelessly Byzantine mysteries. I even like seeing Donald Trump dispense his corporate judgments, and I like learning from the mistakes of his apprentice wannabes. When I think about how much of my day is wasted by each episode of television though, I cringe.

The way I see it, TV time is essentially wasted time. Think about it; you're sitting there, being informed or entertained, but otherwise accomplishing nothing. Even if you watch only two hours a day, that's essentially 1/8 of your waking time that goes to waste -- probably about 1/3 to 1/2 of your free time, if you maintain an eight-hour workday. If you cut that down by one hour a day, you'll be liberating 365 hours a year, or about 15.2 whole days! Personally, I could use another fifteen days per year; can't you?

What if certain TV shows are dear to your heart—programs that you would absolutely hate to miss? Believe me, I know the feeling. Whatever you do though, don't just sit back and thumb the remote control. There are many things you can do to make your TV viewing hours more productive.

I use my TV time to accomplish important tasks that don't require much mental effort -- getting some exercise, for example. This lets me enjoy my favorite shows without feeling guilty about the time I spend in front of the tube. I find that weight training is easier to do while watching the tube though, since it requires less room, less motion and less concentration.

It’s not just exercise that I do. Sometimes I tidy up around the home, feed my pets or sort through my mail. Sometimes, I park my laptop computer in front of the TV set and type away. Admittedly, the latter doesn’t work well when I have to perform mentally intensive tasks such as heavy writing or computer programming. It does work if I’m only doing lightweight work though, such as writing a letter or searching for articles.

Mind you, I’m not saying that I never just sit back and enjoy a show. I still do that now and then, especially when I’m sick or exhausted. Whenever possible though, I try to make sure that I use this time productively.

I’ll say it again. Television is a huge waste of time. That doesn’t mean we have to avoid it completely, though. As long as we remind ourselves of what a huge time sink it can be, we can find ways to make the best of this otherwise wasted time.