Just over a month ago I unhooked the TV in my bedroom. When I’m at home now I very rarely watch TV at all anymore - I still watch a couple of movies a week and will sit down for maybe 15 minutes at a time when I’m downstairs cooking or eating dinner. I’ve dropped down my video game playing to maybe 2-3 hours a week too. I now believe that TV is a huge time sink and there is so much more I should be doing rather than watching the tube.

Over the last year I’ve steadily reduced my time in front of the tube, but I’m now at an all time low and I really think I’m going to stay there. In the past I would easily spend 5-6 hours a night sitting at the TV watching mindlessly or playing games, with weekends often being even worse. It would easily add up to 30-40 hours a week. 40 hours - that number is absolutely mind boggling to me now. I used to think about what I would do with my spare time if I didn’t have to work. But here I was - spending as much time on the couch as I was at work - so that excuse pretty much went out the window for me.

I used to get home from work and have no energy and just plop down on the couch. Of course this lead to me sitting around, gaining weight and losing muscle - which in turn lead to me having even less energy. It turned into a life-long downward spiral until eventually I became what I was - out of shape, almost 300 pounds and unhappy. But the spiral works in reverse too - I had to force myself at first which was the hardest part, but then my energy levels started to climb and it became easier and easier. My mind started working differently and before I knew it, I had a lot of energy even after a tough day at work.

It’s given me time for everything I consider important in my life - being active, seeing friends and family, cooking, reading, painting and so much more. I used to consider it ‘important’ to keep up on shows and watch every episode. Now I realize that instead of watching other people’s lives, I should be living my own.