A Guide to Giving Up Television

TV is a staple of American culture, much like hamburgers and french fries. As with burgers and fries, it's unhealthy to have too much TV in your diet. What's so wrong with a little passive entertainment? The problem is that it's hard to only watch a little TV. I know from personal experience that while I might start out meaning to watch only one program, I'll end up in front of television for hours. Apparently, I'm not alone: "According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube." (1)

Consider these further statistics, courtesy of Norman Herr's "Television & Health":

+ Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 3.5

+ Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680

+ Percentage of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV and spending time with their fathers, preferred television: 54

+ Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours

+ Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500

What do we gain from all this television viewing? Besides a chance to catch up on the latest plot twist of your favorite show, not much. While it can be considered relaxing, there are many other pastimes that are just as relaxing and also exercise your brain or your body - TV doesn't do that. We also need to remember that while we're watching TV, we are spending much of that time paying attention to other people trying to get us to buy their products. Is this a worthwhile way to spend your time?

What can you do to cut down on your TV watching, or just cut it out for good? Below are a few tips to cutting down on your TV habit.

Start by keeping a log of all the time you spend watching TV. To make things easier, only record periods of about ten minutes or more, and feel free to round to the nearest five minutes. Keep your log for two weeks. At the end of this period, review your television viewing habits. Are you comfortable with the amount of TV you watch in a day, or a week? A log like this can be very revealing - while you may start out thinking you only watch a few hours of television a week, you may come to discover that you've been vegging in front of the boob tube a lot longer than that.

Next, decide on a trial period during which you will completely abstain from watching television. I recommend at least a week or two - any less than that really isn't worth it. After you go on your TV fast, you can decide if you need to cut television out of your life altogether, or if you just need to watch it less. Now it's time to remove the temptation. This can be as simple as unplugging your television and moving it out to the garage. You can also just get rid of it altogether if you've already decided you want to go cold turkey. During your TV fast, do your best to avoid places that are likely to have televisions, like sports bars or houses of friends who are TV-happy. If you catch part of a show by accident, it's not the end of the world, but watching TV at someone else's house is still watching TV.

What will you do with all the extra time you're going to have on your hands? Before you start your television fast, plan extra activities to do in your spare time. This can be hanging out with friends, going to local events, or exercising. You can also create a reading list, start up a new hobby, or sign up for a class. Watching movies isn't a bad way to fill your time, but it's best to concentrate on activities that challenge your body or your mind. Part of the point of avoiding television is to promote a more active lifestyle.

Keep a log during your week or two of TV-free living. How do you feel about life without television? How many times do you find yourself giving into the temptation to sneak in a little TV? Does it get easier or harder to resist over time? What are some strategies you used to avoid giving in?

After your fast is over, evaluate your attitude toward introducing television back into your life. Do you want to cut it out for good, or would you like to be able to keep watching a few of your favorite shows? One thing you might discover after your initial TV fast is that some of the activities you started during that time have become more important to you than sitting in front of the boob tube. Good for you! You've added something worthwhile to your life and have become a more active and interesting person.

(1) Norman Herr, Ph.D., Internet Resources to Accompany the Sourcebook for Teaching Science, "Television & Health"