According to a recent report, the average adult American
spends more than five hours watching television every
single day. That equates to roughly 35 hours per week.
In other words, you’re probably spending almost as much
time watching TV as you are working.
What if you were able to cut back on your TV habits and
instead do something productive with this time? Well,
give the following hacks a try and you’ll see just how
much more productive you can be on a daily basis.
1. Read a Book
(Photo by Moyan Brenn)
Reading is something most of us enjoy, yet we never
seem to get around to picking a book up off the shelf.
Well, imagine how many books you could read if you
spent a couple hours reading each night. You could
probably go through three or four books a month. Not
only is reading better for your mind, but it also provides
you with valuable information and insights into different
topics, which makes you a more interesting and
well-rounded person.
2. Cook a Healthy Meal
(Photo by Moyan Brenn)
TV watching and unhealthy eating go hand-in-hand.
When people are camped out on the couch, they don’t
have time to cook. Therefore, they rely on frozen dinners
and fast food. In fact, you could argue that the entire
concept of pre-packaged foods – once called TV dinners
– is designed around nighttime television watching.
By cutting out the TV, you can spend more time cooking
healthy meals. Not only will this allow you to learn new
cooking skills, but it will also lead to a healthier life. If
you have a partner or children, you can enlist them to
help you in the kitchen, creating a good teaching and
bonding opportunity that you would have otherwise missed.
3. Get Some Exercise
(Photo by markeybo<./a>)
Now that you’ve got healthy eating down, you can adopt
an exercise regimen to lose those excess pounds and get
in shape. Take a run after work, lift weights at the gym,
or take a yoga class. In the same amount of time it would
take you to watch an episode of Law and Order, you can
finish an excellent calorie-burning workout. Not bad, eh?
4. Take an Online Course
(Photo by Jinho Jung)
With an extra 30-35 hours in your weekly schedule,
you could sign up for an online course and learn a new
skill, obtain a new certification, or potentially earn a
new degree. There are thousands of online learning
opportunities and your time will be much better spent
in front of the computer than the TV.
5. Get a Head Start on Work
(Photo from Pexels)
Are you stressed when you show up to work in the morning?
Do you find it difficult to head home at a decent hour?
Well, you can make the following day much easier by
getting a head start the night before. Knock out menial
tasks while at home and you’ll find that you’re able to
accomplish important things when you’re in the office.
6. Get a New Hobby
(Photo by Jenn)
Finally, why not get a new hobby? Whether it’s writing,
drawing, gardening, playing guitar, flying planes, or
anything in between, a few extra hours a week should
be plenty of time to try something new. You might even
make some new friends in the process!
What are you waiting for?
(Photo by Dennis Skley)
Nobody is saying that TV is evil. We all have our
favorite shows and channels and there’s nothing
wrong with that. However, the simple fact of the matter
is that the average American adult is spending way too
much time watching TV.
By reducing the amount of time you spend mindlessly
watching shows and using this time to do productive things,
your life can become much happier and healthier.
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