You just got home from a long day at work, and you feel fried. Your brain is running on fumes, and your body just wants to collapse on the couch. You want mindless entertainment, and fortunately, you’ve got hundreds of channels to choose from. You sit down, and from about 6:00pm until 11:00pm, the TV is on. Sound healthy to you?
I hear people at the office talk about Bachelor Pad and other pieces of garbage like that. I hear them spend 10 minutes talking about Twilight and what the celebrities are up to. In my mind, all I can think is this question: “Isn’t there something better we can do with our time?” I’m a self-admitted TV addict, but my TV watching has tapered off in recent years. And with the average cable bill running $75-$100 a month, I think it’s time we staged a revolution. Too often, we have let networks tell us what to talk about, what to buy, what to eat, and how to live. I say we turn off the TVs and start doing something. Here are some great alternatives that will make your life more fulfilling and, let’s be honest, healthier:
Have a conversation
Let’s start with the easiest one of the bunch. If you live with somebody else, and you spend your evenings watching TV, try hitting the “power” button and turning to that person. Then start talking. “How’s life been lately?” is a great starter. Since you live with that person, your relationship with him or her is obviously very important to you. Talk about anything: your hopes, your dreams, what you like, what you don’t like, etc. Yes, guys, even you. You don’t have to get all weepy or touchy-feely. If you need to, grab a beer so that you feel a little manlier. If the other person is up for it, go have a cigar. Just start talking and see what happens. That bonding time is important.
Yoga/Pushups/Situps/Gym/Running/Walking/Get Off Your Lazy Butt
I’m not a big advocate of the gym, but to each his own – whatever gets you off the couch. Do it for fun, and for your health. If you want to, track what you’re doing to show some accomplishment. The beauty of this, as an adult, is that you don’t have to necessarily answer to anybody. Set your own goals. If your goal is to run a mile within six weeks, go for it. Anything is better than nothing. And with cool apps on just about any smartphone that will track your progress for you and share it if you want, there’s really no reason not to try it out. The added benefits will include pretty much any benefit that you get from doing exercise. You know the drill: better sleep, better sex, more energy, lose weight, yada yada yada. Pick one benefit that you like and use that for the reason why you do it. Just do it.
Expand that brain of yours
The biggest problem with the education of today’s youth is that it makes education something that is miserable. From about grade 3 to college, classes are generally designed to make you sit, listen, and say what the teacher wants you to say. Education is seen as a challenge, which is fine – to a point. Now that you are an adult, many of you will sit and say, “I would never go back to school! I don’t miss THAT!” I know I say that all the time. But let’s use our brain power in a different way. For example, while putzing around online, listen to or watch a brilliant talk on TED.com. Some of my favorites include the critique of the current educational system, chef Jamie Oliver talking about how lousy our food is, and author Malcolm Gladwell talking about ketchup and happiness. TED is a great spot for educational, thought-provoking, and very entertaining presentations and speeches.
Other ways to expand your brain can be reading some great blogs (like this one). Your brain is not a static thing: it is a living organism that adapts and changes. If you don’t give it a workout occasionally, it starts to regress. Take some time to properly exercise it. If you think you are getting a brain workout at work, ask yourself this: how many of those 8 hours a day are spent daydreaming? Chatting with coworkers? Complaining about work? Eating? Surfing the Web? In boring meetings? Yeah, your brain isn’t tired yet. You’re just out of shape.
Don’t want to learn? Here’s a quick exercise to help you out: get out a sheet of paper or open a document on your computer. Write or type 5 of your favorite things. Even the laziest of interests can morph into educational pursuits. Video games? Google around or grab a book on the history of video game development, or what goes into the design and making of a video game. You can learn about how marketing campaigns are developed or how technology has advanced over the years. Television or movies? Bone up on your history of Hollywood. There are fascinating stories about old movie studios and how movies have evolved over time as well. Food? Great! Look up cooking techniques and recipes. Get started in cooking and you’ll get even healthier!
Start a side business
“More work!” you say. Well, the problem with most jobs is that they’re work. This is your chance to start something that you think is fun. Something you are passionate about. Something that gets you excited. For me, it’s the chance to be a writer and work from home. For you, it could be to develop that awesome idea you’ve had, or to work with animals, or who knows? Start Googling around. Maybe your interest lends itself to freelance work, like photography or web design. There are dozens of different ways you can do it.
“I don’t have any money/time to start a business!” Call it a “project”, then. It’s something you can spend an hour or two every night poking at. It might turn into something amazing. As for money, if it’s a service business, you can start it with remarkably little: often just a computer and an internet connection. For example, I gave my writing business a reboot and just started sending out some emails. Within a matter of about two weeks, I now have 10-12 leads, 3-4 paying clients, and I’ve booked nearly $2,000 in work this month. All it took was sending out some emails, which I did for free. Starting a business is a rewarding experience, even through failure.
And if you need startup capital to put together your business, start running the numbers: if the average monthly cable bill is $75, how many months without cable would you need to go to get that money? Six months is $450, which is plenty of money to get a small business up and running. Spend that six months planning, and you could be well on your way to something pretty cool.
Read a book, or twelve
Grab some friends and start a book club, or join an online book club like the ones at GoodReads. Go to the library. Trade books with PaperbackSwap. Grab a Kindle and start getting ebooks. You can read about whatever you want, whenever you want. It’s your life now, not some teacher’s. Put together your own reading list.
These are just a few. What are your favorite non-TV activities?
Tom is an entrepreneur and freelance writer, working out of his apartment full-time, or wherever he feels like taking his laptop. He doesn't take long European vacations or blogs on the beach. He's an Average Joe that took control of his life. He wants you to do the same.
