No TV For Five Days: Day 1
The Challenge
I was sitting at work when I get an e-mail from my dear hubby challenging me to give up watching television for the week. Enthusiastically I say, "Sure!" We had recently read someone's blog about this challenge and how he was able to do all these great things with his time. Excited, I looked at my Toodledo checklist and calendar to see what great things I can FINALLY accomplish this week, things I always push off until they absolutely have to get done. I figure it'll be at least three days before I go through major TV withdrawals (e.g. "What? Have I seen the new Weeds episode? Watched The Office reruns on the TiVo? Caught up on all my reality shows?"). I realize it really is terrible how our daily routine always includes at least 1.5 hours in front of the television every evening. I cringe at the thought of how much weight we've gained in the last two years just by sitting on the couch each evening instead of doing more valuable things with our time.
The Fun Part
Logging in this Hub for my daily progress is a sweet bonus, since, you know, being on the computer is just as fun as watching my favorite TV shows. I'm also curious to see if people will actually keep checking back to see how I'm doing. Let the fun begin!
DAY 1: AUGUST 4. 2008
It's a little bit of a challenge not to reach for the remote and turn on our awesome Samsung LCD. Immediately I realize how much of an addiction watching TV was! Here's everything I was able to do this evening in lieu of looking at the tube:
- Stopped by the bank to make a deposit
- Caught up with my best girlfriend on the phone for about 20 mins.
- Took a much-needed nap
- Completed 4 things on my To-Do list
- Talked to my mom (long-distance) for a bit
- Cooked dinner for the next two days
- Sat down and had a nice, quiet dinner with my husband on the dining table. Normally, we would have dinner on TV trays while watching our favorite shows!
- Cleaned the kitchen and ran the dishwasher
- Went through the mail
- Prepared a box of donations to charity (whoohoo!)
- Read some news/info articles online
- Updated my blogs
- Published this Hub =)
I realize that many people, especially those with families, probably do so much more in an evening than what I've accomplished here. It always baffles me how some mothers can have 4 kids plus pets, have a full-time job, go to school, and keep up with diet and exercise all at the same time! My goal is to take advantage of this week to really put some good habits in place. I don't want to burn the candle at both ends--I just want to adjust my daily routine so that I'm not wasting so much time staring at the television. My husband always says that we need to constantly work on bettering ourselves and our relationship, and I agree.
It is now midnight. Time for bed, Day 2 tomorrow!
- Self-Improvement: Zen Habits
This no-tv week is the perfect time to brush up on some Zen Habits. I have been a de-cluttering freak lately--I actually get pissed off when I see too much clutter around the house! My goal is to read at least one of these articles each day.
