No TV Challenge: Update
This spring, Judah and I decided to do a “No TV Challenge” for the summer. Well, I am here to tell you today that, YES, we actually did it! For the months of June, July, and August, we didn’t watch any TV. Maybe I should have journaled about it or something, because I really thought I’d have some meaningful insights or mind-blowing revelations, but I’ve got nothing. Sorry. I still think it was a good experience, though. Let me tell you a few things that happened.
1) I got more stuff done. It’s much more tempting to not do anything when you have TV. For some reason, things just don’t get done. I used to find myself saying, “Ok, I’ll do _____ once this episode is done... Oh no, it’s done, and Netflix is only giving me 7 seconds to decide if I want to be productive today!” Without TV, I just had to do everything. And you know what? It felt pretty good. But lest you think that I was a tireless workhorse who never relaxed....
2) I read more! I love reading. I really don’t know why I don’t do it more often. Let me shamelessly parade by nerdiness by proclaiming my love of Lord of the Rings. I read it (yet again) this summer, and am finishing up the Return of the King now. There are so many inspiring nuggets of truth in this trilogy. Try this on for size: “Other evils there are that may come; for Sauron is himself but a servant or emissary. Yet it is not our party to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.” Seriously. Reading is the best.
3) I listened to an audiobook. I actually thought I’d listen to more but it turns out that I’m really busy and don’t have a lot of time. I listened to A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin. Again, so many nuggets of truth. But I didn’t get to write them down, so I can’t share any with you right now. You’ll have to read it yourself.
4) I listened to more music. Judah introduced me to Spotify, which is good for me because it makes me step outside my box. I tend to listen to the same things all the time, slightly varied based on my mood or whim, but generally the same stuff. When I worked on crafts this summer, I listened to music instead of watching TV and I came across a lot of new artists that I never would have thought to listen to, like Page CXVI or Judah & the Lion. Fun fact about Page CXVI: their name is a reference to the page in their copy of the Magician’s Nephew where Aslan sings Narnia into creation. I can think of several of you by name who now want to listen to them.
P.S. Turns out I like the banjo.
5) I learned how much I like Doctor Who. I am aware that this blog post has been completely nerdy so far, and I haven’t felt silly about it till now. Honestly, not watching TV was not a problem for me. Except for Doctor Who. That was the only thing I missed. Is that something I should be ashamed of? Not sure. But it tells me that a break was a good thing.
So what did I learn? I shouldn’t watch as much TV, I guess. It definitely is nice to be able to pop on a short show while I’m crocheting or something. That’s okay in moderation, but I’ll need to limit myself on my days off from work.
Did anyone else take the challenge, or do something similar? How was your experience?
1) I got more stuff done. It’s much more tempting to not do anything when you have TV. For some reason, things just don’t get done. I used to find myself saying, “Ok, I’ll do _____ once this episode is done... Oh no, it’s done, and Netflix is only giving me 7 seconds to decide if I want to be productive today!” Without TV, I just had to do everything. And you know what? It felt pretty good. But lest you think that I was a tireless workhorse who never relaxed....
2) I read more! I love reading. I really don’t know why I don’t do it more often. Let me shamelessly parade by nerdiness by proclaiming my love of Lord of the Rings. I read it (yet again) this summer, and am finishing up the Return of the King now. There are so many inspiring nuggets of truth in this trilogy. Try this on for size: “Other evils there are that may come; for Sauron is himself but a servant or emissary. Yet it is not our party to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.” Seriously. Reading is the best.
3) I listened to an audiobook. I actually thought I’d listen to more but it turns out that I’m really busy and don’t have a lot of time. I listened to A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin. Again, so many nuggets of truth. But I didn’t get to write them down, so I can’t share any with you right now. You’ll have to read it yourself.
4) I listened to more music. Judah introduced me to Spotify, which is good for me because it makes me step outside my box. I tend to listen to the same things all the time, slightly varied based on my mood or whim, but generally the same stuff. When I worked on crafts this summer, I listened to music instead of watching TV and I came across a lot of new artists that I never would have thought to listen to, like Page CXVI or Judah & the Lion. Fun fact about Page CXVI: their name is a reference to the page in their copy of the Magician’s Nephew where Aslan sings Narnia into creation. I can think of several of you by name who now want to listen to them.
P.S. Turns out I like the banjo.
5) I learned how much I like Doctor Who. I am aware that this blog post has been completely nerdy so far, and I haven’t felt silly about it till now. Honestly, not watching TV was not a problem for me. Except for Doctor Who. That was the only thing I missed. Is that something I should be ashamed of? Not sure. But it tells me that a break was a good thing.
So what did I learn? I shouldn’t watch as much TV, I guess. It definitely is nice to be able to pop on a short show while I’m crocheting or something. That’s okay in moderation, but I’ll need to limit myself on my days off from work.
Did anyone else take the challenge, or do something similar? How was your experience?
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