How To Watch Less Television

Television. Love it or hate it, almost everyone watches television. Hours and hours of it

Often we watch too much television. Whether you're sat glued to the tv or whether it's just there, playing to itself.

There's a reasonable chance that if I came up to you and asked you to tell me about the program you have just seen, you'd remember at least some of it. But what about the programs you watched yesterday? Or last week? Wait a second... Your recall probably isn't as good.

So is there anything you can do that will help you to watch less television?

Here are some easy tips to watch less television.

1. Use the standby button

Eek! Actually turn off the television? In some households, the thing stays on 24 hours a day. But what about if you're home alone and you're not really watching the TV, it's just "on", then pluck up the courage to hit the off switch.

2. Diarize with yourself to watch the important shows

There are probably a few television shows that you never want to miss. Maybe NCIS using forensics and solving a complex crime in under an hour. Or possibly there's no way you want to miss the next instalment on how those desperate housewives are coping. Whatever your choices, that's good. You can still watch those shows. Just not all the other stuff in the intervening hours.

3. Switch off the news

Many people get the jitters at the mere thought of this. But nothing much really newsworthy actually happens and if it does, you'll find out soon enough. Most all the year, watching the news rotate on television is merely a reason for feeling sorry for strangers you've never met. Cut that negativity out of your life and reward yourself with lots of hours to do something nice instead.

4. Get a television hard disk recorder

Record the programs you want to watch. Then watch them, but with the remote control close by to race through the endless "coming soon" trailers and advertisements. This will cut your viewing time down dramatically, probably around a quarter to a third. Trust me, this is an easy and useful habit to get into.

5. Use hypnosis to help

Yes. This works a treat. Simply listen to a special hypnosis track to help you watch less television and you'll quickly find your mind coming up with other things to do than sit and watch tv.

Find out more about how you can watch less television here.