How to Get the Most Out of Television

By eHow Education Editor

Rate: (0 Ratings)

A television in the home can be a wonderful thing, bringing news, educational programming and entertainment into your life. But it can also be a terrible thing, keeping you from reading, exercising, eating right and talking to your family. A television watching habit can turn into a television addiction if you don't take control of when you will watch television and what programming you will watch when you do. Follow these steps to get the most out of television without it getting the most out of you.

Flag Article

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Local newspaper

Step1

Resolve not to use the television as background noise or as a babysitter for your children. Keep it turned off unless there is something specific you want to watch. If you need background noise, turn on the radio.

Step2

Recognize that time spent watching television is not spent doing other things that are important or enjoyable. Ask yourself if the shows you are watching are worth giving up playing with your children, sitting down to dinner with your family or taking the dog for a long walk.

Step3

Research the shows you want to see in the time you've alloted yourself to watch television. Check the schedules in the newspaper, subscribe to television guides or get information about upcoming shows on the Internet. Be selective. Choose educational programs over situation comedies, quiz shows over game shows that don't include quizzes or well-written and acted dramas over reality shows of people being foolish or behaving badly.

Step4

Skip subscription channels. Paying extra for a channel that shows new movies or commercial-free programs a few hours a week isn't worth the money. Instead, rent movies or make use of pay-per-view. Or, wait until the programs appear on other channels.

Step5

Invest in a digital video recorder. You can buy it or rent it from your cable television provider. Use the DVR to record the shows you want to see instead of watching them at the time they are broadcast. By watching recorded shows, you can use the fast-forward feature to avoid sitting through the commercials and get through an hour-long show in about 45 minutes.

Step6

As the shows you watch are canceled, don't replace them with new shows. Instead, decrease the time you spend in front of the television.

Tips & Warnings

Don't get your news from television. Most news programs don't do more than summarize events, and news magazine shows are intended primarily to entertain. Subscribe to a newspaper or a print magazine for thorough coverage of news stories.
You may be surprised to find some of your buying habits will change for the better when you don't watch the commercials that come with a television show.
Summer re-run season is a good time to wean yourself from television. Instead of watching them, take advantage of the longer days to spend more time outdoors.
Expect your children to complain when you decide to limit their television time. However, if you stick to your decision, they will find better things to do with their time, such as doing their homework or playing games with their siblings.