Is watching television horrible in your 20s?

As a 20-something, there’s so much that you want to do, see, and accomplish. It’s challenging enough to get everything done. When you think about starting a business, you get confused. When you want to switch career paths, there’s a plethora of information. You never know what to do with your time.

  • Do you spend your evenings working on your side business?
  • Do you hit the gym?
  • Should you spend every minute being productive?

Over the years, I used to talk about how watching tv is a waste of time. From 2005 until like 2011, I don’t think I followed any shows. I tried to watch Monday Night Raw on Mondays and the occasional episode of The Office. I did my best to get things done.

Then recently I got hooked on a few tv shows. For the first time ever in my life, I actually follow a few tv shows. I’m hooked on Dexter and Sons of Anarchy. I’m not sure how I didn’t hear of these shows until 2013! I’m so behind.

What are the benefits of watching television?

You can’t be productive 24/7. You can’t always be getting things done. It’s okay to zone out in front of the tv when you’re tired or if you want to just hang out after a stressful day.

It’s also a social thing. My last girlfriend enjoyed watching tv. We would hang out and follow a few shows together. It became pretty fun and I couldn’t wait for the shows to air.

You can also get lots of new ideas from shows. When I watch a saw, the ideas hit me like crazy. There’s so much to think about it, so much to write about, and so much more to add to my articles. Plus, it helps be to aware of socially relevant shows. It sucks to always be confused when people talk about Dexter or some other show that they caught.

What are the setbacks?

The setbacks are obvious. The time spent in front of the tube is time away from something more productive. This is time wasted.

The obvious argument is that you should live life instead of watch stuff. While this is valid, I guess it depends on what you watch and how long you watch it.

For example, it’s easy to get caught up in front of the tv for the hours watching nonsense and just zoning out. The next thing you know, and half the day is wasted. That sucks.

The other setback is that get a false sense of reality. Obviously tv isn’t real and you can’t lead the lives of your television heros. That can be a depressing though for some.

How can you watch tv without feeling guilty?

You have to accept that you can’t always be productive. I finally accepted this earlier in the year. I still however try to be strategic with how I watch tv.

What’s my plan for watching my favorite shows/addictions?

You should try to plan out your slack off days just like planning out a cheat a day. We all need a day off. Plan it out in advance.

Download them, buy them, or save them on your device. I try to wait for the season of the show to end and then I watch it on demand. This means that I can watch the show whenever I want, without any commercials.

Enjoy the show with your friends. It’s cool to have a group ritual where you guys meet up once a week to load up on your favorite program.

Move on with your life. Once you’re done with catching up on your shows you can move on with your life and get back to normal. Don’t let yourself get glued infront of the tube aimlessly watching reruns of crap.

What do you think about tv?

Martin Dasko

Martin Dasko