I often get asked by readers, how I find the spare time to blog, podcast, make videos, garden, and be a more sustainable person.
Usually I don’t give it a second thought because I love my lifestyle and wouldn’t have it any other way, however I do have a big secret that I am willing to share. Yes, a secret.
What would you say if I told you that this secret can give you back over 720 hours a year? That’s nearly fourteen hours a week, or just over two hours a day. Every single day.
What would it feel like to suddenly find 30 days of spare time per year? Time that you could build a more sustainable lifestyle, and spend with family and friends. Quality time to do the things that matter.
Wouldn’t that be simply amazing?
Well folks, it is. Here is my little secret that changed my productivity.
I stopped watching television. Yes, it is as simple as that!
On average, Australians watch between 2 and 4 hours of television a day. A 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics study found that;
“TV watching/listening was found to be the activity which took up most people’s leisure time. On a daily basis 87% of Australians watched or listened to TV for an average of just under 3 hours (179 minutes)”
“So, how does this save the average person money? Well, in a lot of ways. First, television commercials are designed to make us want. They appeal to our emotions in ways that are hard to ignore, making us feel like we are inadequate of we don’t have A, B or C product, or that we are depriving our children the key to their eternal happiness, or whatever the emotion the commercials evoke. Make no mistake, advertisers are professionals in psychological manipulation. It’s their job to get you to want whatever it is they’re selling, and they are completely unscrupulous in the actions they will take to make you believe that what they have is what you need.”
Ne’er a wiser word said about television advertising.
Awesome post! We mistakingly thought we “didn’t really watch much tv”. Until we physically removed it. Boom! There’s a free hour or two that didn’t exist! What a life changing non-habit
That’s a strong move to physically get rid of the thing, I am impressed. I have considered doing that, as it is a sure way of cutting down, but I have yet to convince my family and the remaining 10% of me. One technique we have implemented though is to have a small tv that is not a permanent fixture in the lounge. Thus the two couches face each other and the tv must be pulled out to be watched. But there is the catch, once one person pulls it out it seems to pull everyone in.
We don’t watch much TV, I would prefer to listen to the ABC Radio (battery operated) at night or just sit and listen to the silence as I am doing right now. All I can hear is the ticking clock and the logs on the fire crackling…Bliss!
I do watch our AFL team play when I get a chance, but if I miss a game, it doesn’t matter. It is on the radio anyway. Every now and then I hear of something interesting to watch usually ABC or SBS and will watch it. I cant stand all those reality type shows, or soaps, they bore me to tears…I would rather catch up on my favourite real life blogs 🙂
We gave up TV channels in 2004 when our kids were young. We kept the TV to watch DVDs on (we own a few, and borrow some from the library). We bought a Wii a few years ago for the kids, but after that first year, no one really played it much anymore, and it just sits there. So I think this isn’t the big time waster in my household.
But there are plenty of other screens sucking at our time – iPods and computers. YouTube seems to be the teen answer to sitcoms, and my husband reads several news websites every night. I’m no better – I follow a lot of blogs, check in with FB daily, and sometimes just surf. Because we need a computer for my husband’s work, and the girls bought their own iPods, we aren’t likely to get rid of them any time soon. I think we’re all aware of this time wasting too, but justify it to ourselves, like a dieter justifying more chocolate.
Dear Gavin,
The first ten years of our marriage we didn’t have a telly or a computer. So we were just together every night. And it was enough.
Than the kids got the age that school wants them to watch this and that, so we bought our first telly, later our first pc.
My wife and I don’t watch commercial tv ever. It’s disgusting! My mom used to tell me that a product that is good enough doesn’t need a commercial to get sold. I kept this in mind.
Now we have a hot summer this year. My wife and I are sitting outside the house watching the stars every night. People in our street think we’re odd. We don’t say much, but it’s still enough.
yours sincerely,
John
Hi Gavin
Yes we’re TV free as well, we do have the box but once freeview entered NZ we declined and just watch the odd DVD on it instead, usually a doco/history type that is free to borrow from the local library. So much more time for everything and no bombardment of the senses!!
Great tip, Gav. Perhaps you could run a small survey to find out more about the TV watching habits of your readership. I’m curious to know. Having said that, these comments are sure revealing a lot.
I bet, like me, a lot of your readers that do watch TV tend to stick to documentary type shows on ABC / SBS. I watch about 30 minutes a day, and it is usually just a pet show on either of these channels that I catch. Sometimes I am not in the mood when the show is due to air so I watch it on the channels online catch-up site, e.g. iView.
Unfortunately, I cannot shed the screen all together. I spend far too much time staring at my laptop or iPad. I like to think for the right reasons though. I tend to occupy a lot of my free time reading texts on philosophy, science, agriculture, simple living, building, tiny houses, gardening, permaculture and that sort of thing. All in the name of research. I’m always taking notes and crunching the numbers for my Desirable World too. I’m a fastidious planner so this research time is vital I think. 🙂
Hi Gavin. I usually have Morning Sunrise on while I’m messing about in the kitchen, and reading my favourite blogs.
Then I switch it off for the day.
But I’ve just switched off the tele early today (It’s nearly 8:30am) as you have made me think. Kochie will have to do without me.
That’s about it really. Sometimes there is good stuff on the ABC on a Sunday evening but apart from that there’s plenty of rubbish generally. I wonder which drongo invented “reality TV! I saw that as the beginning of the end.
Wonderful good for you. We don’t own a tv so don’t watch any commercial tv. I hate adds and find them intrusive and over stimulating!! We do still watch some carefully chosen tv shows (like you doctor who and star trek etc. Woop woop for geeks!!)and lots of docos plus some movies. So nice to not have the box on all the time I actually find it disrespectful and very distracting when I go to someone’s house and they have the tv on I actually ask them to turn it off. Mx http://www.nzecochick.com/2010/09/no-tv-home.html
Darn. I was hoping it was something new. I gave up tv years ago and also hate when it’s on where I’m visiting.
I usually only watch documentaries and the news, we record a lot of programs that interest us and watch them when we have time. But if I’m sitting watching, I’m also usually doing something else, like folding washing or knitting or peeling rosellas! Otherwise TV time really is wasted time.
I haven’t turned my TV on since sometime in 2010. Many people think I am strange, I have very little interest in most of what is on and do not have time to waste sitting in front of a TV! Besides that I don’t sit still long enough to watch it.
I was just discussing this with friends over supper last night. I LOVE not having a television. It feels strange at first, a habit you may not realize is a habit (you do it just because you are used to doing it), and then it feels like such a mental relief. When I occasionally see something on tv- at someone’s house, or in a waiting room, I am typically stressed and angry within a few minutes of the commercials and so called newscasters insulting my intelligence with incredibly inane material. On the other hand I do waste a lot of time online, but at least I’m a bit more in control of what I am willing to put up with viewing.
I don’t get good reception up here on mt dandenong despite the tv towers being about 5km away. plus we have lots of power outages and spikes. my tv has operated for about 3 months since I moved here almost 3 years ago and then I could really only get the ABC and SBS clearly
then a big branch fell on the roof and stuffed the aerial up. got a new digital aerial under the insurance but don’t have a digital tv. got a freecycle set top box and 3 weeks later another power spike blew that up. so no tv. I knit, I read, I sit outside and watch the chooks. I garden and I occasionally listen to the radio. again I don’t get good reception and can only clearly pick up ABC. I hate the talkback and football on radio so even that isn’t turned on often
it is pretty quiet where I am and of a night time I can hear the possums fighting and the foxes howling
Claire in Kalorama
Blogging saved me from TV. I think you guys are far more entertaining and funny than any shows ive seen recently. If i do make it to the box then its “Escape to the country” to feed my dreams a little.
Great post. I absolutely agree that not watching TV is the secret to giving yourself a couple of extra hours a night!
I love this quote too:
“Make no mistake, advertisers are professionals in psychological manipulation.”
As someone who has worked in the advertising industry in the past, I can verify the accuracy of that statement. You’d be astonished just how clever and targeted marketing has become – the agencies know so much about their target audience these days.
Hmm better late than never… been away on holidays, just catching up on blogs!
Our area changed from analog tv to digital in April, and we still have our old analog tv, which obviously doesn’t work any more. We watch the odd dvd, or even vhs (very cheap from the opshops, 5 for a dollar, lots of old classics, and we just return them when we’ve watched them to combat the clutter).
My husband missed the AFL at first, but for big games (the Dockers might (will) get to the finals!) we might go to the pub, and he enjoys listening to the radio whilst tinkering in the shed for ‘standard’ games.
We’ve been getting in touch with our very large cd collection again, and I am sooooo happy to be oblivious to whatever the latest and greatest wasteful gadget is, or time-saving grocery item (saw vaccuum sealed grilled chicken in the shop today. Seriously!). We also don’t get any junkmail in our area!
Anyway, the evenings are so nice and quiet, and staring into the fire beats tv anytime! Imagine how amazing reading a good book is!
Enjoy your telly free life!
Anneke
Perth