I love the fact that nowadays we can simply type in a show or movie title and be able to stream it just minutes later. Gone are the days of trekking to Blockbuster to rent films or waiting for your Netflix [1] DVDs to come in the mail. However, having so much access to shows and movies through streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu [2], and Amazon Prime [3] has become maybe a bit too convenient.
According to research, on average Netflix users binge-watch up to five hours consecutively in one sitting [4]. I personally can vouch for this as I pretty much watched the whole series of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel [5] in one day earlier this Summer (amount of time glued to the screen aside – it is SO good!). You always think that the next episode will be the last episode you watch, until, before you know it, you're on the last season and it's 2 a.m.
So, this got me thinking: What would I have time for instead if watching any form of television was not an option for one week? Well, the answer is a lot. Read on to see.
Reading
Even though I took streaming out of my daily routine for a week, I still yearned for the escape and stimulation that watching a series gives me. To help with this, I paid a visit to my local library and took out books [7] from all different genres – nonfiction, fiction, and self-help. I finished some books in a day, others in a week. I discovered that my love of reading that I found at a young age was still with me and I couldn't get enough.
Today, I am back on the streaming bandwagon (I have to finish Boardwalk Empire [8], after all), I now have a refreshed love and appreciation for the library.
Fitness
During my week-long streaming hiatus I finally joined Classpass [9], something that has been on my to-do list for at least the past six months. Less time in front of the screen gave me more time in the classroom – I took everything from outdoor yoga classes [10] to barre [11] and Pilates [12].
Cooking
Many times while in the middle of a series, I tend to just order food via a delivery app to ensure that I do not miss one single detail. However, by cutting out streaming I realize that I actually have more time to make dinner from scratch, which not only proves to be healthier, but easier on the wallet, too.
Sleeping
I cannot even count how many times in my life I have said, "Just one more episode and then I will go to bed." Subtracting streaming from my nightly routine meant one less reason for staying up later. I found that by not watching Netflix (or Hulu, or Amazon Prime, or HBO Go . . .) before bed, I went to sleep, on average, two hours earlier. Yikes.
Activities
I found my schedule to be more open since I knew I could not fall back on watching a series if I was feeling bored. This new freedom brought me to nature, inspiring museums [13], and new restaurants [14]. I became more interested in everything that was going on around me and did a fresh activity almost daily.
Final Thoughts
Opting out of using streaming services for a week allowed me to really become aware of how much time I spend getting sucked into a show. Although I don't think I will swear off the services indefinitely, I do think that I will plan on cutting back my time spent in front of the screen dramatically. Until the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel comes out, that is.