Results Since Getting Rid of TV

It's been five full months since we got rid of our TV last spring.

I love it.

Here are some of the changes I've noticed.

• More peace and quiet. I, for one, do not like living in a noise-addicted society. My home is now a sanctuary.

• More reading time. Without the TV, my wife and I read before bed more often. And we read more in general. So far, I've completed 30 books this year. I'll probably hit close to 40 by the time the year is out.

• Our kids are more creative. Instead of begging for TV, they actually play with blocks, Legos, toy cars, etc. Their imaginations have grown tremendously, and they no longer require our constant attention (or the TV's) to keep them occupied. This is a blessing.

• More enjoyment when we do watch TV. Occasionally, we will see some football at a family member's house. I enjoy it a lot more since we don't have TV at home.

• Lower tolerance for TV. When the TV does happen to be on at a friend or family member's house, we can only stand so much. My biggest pet peeve is when the TV is just running in the background. Anymore, I don't ask for permission. If no one's watching, I just walk over and turn it off.

• More positivity. Ever since quitting the newspaper and television, we don't see all the negative press. Which really helps us to stay positive. As Thoreau pointed out, after you've read a story about a man's untimely death, you know the principle. Do you really need to know about every specific tragedy?

If there is one overarching lifestyle change I recommend more than any other, it's getting rid of your TV. I don't mean putting it behind closed doors or in a low-traffic area. I mean get rid of it. Sell it or give it away.

If you are afraid of how your kids will react, just tell them (and your spouse, if necessary) it's an experiment. You'll do it for a few months then reevaluate. I bet once the experiment has begun you'll never go back to your old way of living.

Comments

[Michael Roach]

Sounds nice, Ryan. But I'm questioning my ability to get by without watching the Calgary Flames play every now and then... or what life without Family Guy is like...

Is it really possible? :)

[Ken Dix]

I've been telling friends and family members to turn their TVs off for years. But they all look at me like I'm crazy. And when I go to my parents for Sunday dinners, they practically insist that I sit and watch "60 Minutes" with them. The idea of just sitting and talking or reading the paper just seems odd to them.

What's odd to me is enjoying a nice meal and then hearing all the horror and corruption going on in the world. And I'm so glad you quoted Thoreau, there's so much for this generation to learn from "Walden." But I guess some people will never feel comfortable unless they have the constant distraction of TV.

I only recently got back to my blog, but it's nice to see you've been blogging away!

[Shannon Layton]

Ryan -
I just discovered your blog...it's my first official marked blog/website. I really enjoy reading it...and then came upon the t.v. blog, which I completely agree with. I live in Tampa, Florida and am hoping to make some life/career changes soon...So thank you for sharing, writing...

Shannon

[Ben Settle]

Ryan,

I think it's awesome what you're doing.

I rarely ever watch TV anymore -- with the occassional re-run of Seinfeld or King Of Queens.

However, I think it's GREAT fun to find a good TV show (specifically "24", "Prison Break", "Lost" and "Supernatural") and then watch the entire season in a weekend "marathon" when I'm burned out.

I always come back rarin' to go afterwards.

Plus, it helps me stay in touch with the popular culture, which is important.

Just like watching popular movies help stay in touch with what people are feeling and thinking and desiring now.

Ben

[Christiana Drapkin]

I threw my TV out more than 12 years ago. And the kids survived (watching some "indispensible" shows once in a while at a neighbor's). But all the things we did instead! I'm a musician, so I got more practicing time in. AND I get to see other musicians perform live more. In general, we made a point of watching more live entertainment, rather than the canned stuff. At home: cooking meals, reading books, talking, fighting, making up...

Once in a while, I cheat, though. That's more fun than having a tv, anyway, going to a friend's house and watching something special together. We watched some reruns of Housewives or Sopranos on my daughter's computer when was home from college. Or we watched the last presidential elections (and got drunk and passed out together with my hosts).

With the extra time, we're just doing MUCH MORE REAL LIVING.

[Ryan Healy]

@ Michael - What are the Flames? And who's Family Guy? (Just kidding.)

@ Ken - I haven't heard from you in forever! Nice to know you're still alive. ;-)

@ Shannon - I'm flattered. By the way, I was born in Florida and lived in Tampa for a time. I still have relatives there.

@ Ben - I agree it's good to keep a pulse on pop culture. I'm just not very good at it. :-)

@ Christiana - Thanks for sharing your perspective. Nice to hear from somebody who's "been there, done that."

[Johnny]

Ryan,

I could not agree with you more. For most of my adult life (10 years on my own) I have owned a television for a grand total of 4 months. The last point you make about the constant bombardment of negative influence is profound. I challenge everyone to unplug your television and put it in the closet for 1 week, you will be amazed!

Johnny

[John A. Manley]

Great stuff. I think the world would, on the whole, be better off without the tube.

We have one. No cable. No dish. No signal. Just a DVD player for rentals. Turn it on once or twice a week for some drama/documentaries.

I love science fiction. Thought, 10 years ago, I wouldn't be able to give up watching sci-fi shows. Got into sci-fi novels instead, and discovered the stories were much, much better. No limitations regarding sets, budget, etc.

Sci-fi books are always 25 years ahead of the TV/movie industry. Always. Probably the same with most other genres.

John

[Ryan Healy]

@ Johnny - Nice. Not many people have the fortitude to go without TV for so long.

@ John - I've not gotten deep into sci-fi literature, but a couple good books I've read in that genre are: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury.

[sally]

We ditched the tv 4 days ago only and I know we have staying power to stick to it. The past 4 days have been incredible. We re-filed the filing cabnet. Emptied the livingroom out and cleaned it REAL good, bringing back only what we NEED to be surrounded by everyday, no more clutter, we built a new closet for our master bedroom as well as re-painted the walls. We just might tackle new flooring too with out new found "nothing to do". We also framed a ton of pictures that have been neglected and hung up art that has been leaning against the wall for months. We washed the car just for kicks, and tonight there might even be some Boggle played. I pulled out the book we were working on reading aloud until the new tv season started and we set up the tube amp and got out all our records. The BEST part other then accomplishing so much is just to sit as a family in the evening when we are tired and instead of zoning out to depressing news we listen to amazing music and just sit on the couch being together and talking and enjoying records so long forgotten. We have a 2 month old daughter and it is our desicion to raise her in a tv free home (the push to loose the tv came when I noticed she was transfixed by it already at 2 months!!) I really hope my generation (I am 23) can come to realize that they are wasting their lives glued to the set and they JUST might regret it in the future.

[Ryan Healy]

Sally - Congratulations on your decision! Isn't amazing how much you can get done when you're not "busy" staying current with your favorite shows?

I, too, hope my generation ditches television in exchange for more fulfilling lives.

[natalie geise]

I'm in high school and when I was in seventh grade I probably watched about two hours of TV per day. It was that year my parents decided to do something I was furious about at the time- shut the TV off completely. Their reasons were, cable was costly and I was using too much of my freetime siting in front of a piece of glass.
I haven't watched TV in my house since and when my parents recently asked me if I wanted it back, I said absolutely not. It was the best thing that ever happened in my childhood- I went outside more, focused more on basketball, read, and got my homework done

[tower defense]

That's more fun than having a tv, anyway, going to a friend's house and watching something special together. We watched some reruns of Housewives or Sopranos on my daughter's computer when was home from college.

[Ectomorph Workout]

For me, I have to have music on, it actually helps me. haha. It gets my juices flowing. y'know?

[evereGugDup]

Hi guys! I am new here. I hope we will enjoy that time :) I love to use that and i hope you too! :)