Since its creation in the 30’s, television has quickly become the filler-activity of choice for millions of people. It’s highly instinctual to pick up the remote when you have free time because television works quickly to satisfy your boredom. Within seconds, you feel immersed in another world outside of your everyday life – and that’s where you’ll stay for hours.

During my second year in college, I was living in an apartment that did not support cable TV. I learned that companies simply did not want to install lines into an apartment that was owned by someone other than the customer. The reception in my area made free broadcast television simply unwatchable, and so I felt doomed to live without TV shows.

Initially, I was highly determined to find a way to restore my primary source of entertainment, and I wasn’t going to give up easily. I was tempted to begin purchasing episodes of my favorite shows from iTunes or Amazon.com, and also considered ordering an Internet television service. Being on a tight college budget however, prevented me from attempting such plans, and I began to finally accept life without television. It’s been almost a year now since I was forced to quit, and I’ve learned quite a few things.

Time. And more time.

One of the first few things I realized was how much of my life was revolved around television. Whenever I looked at the clock, the time would always be much earlier than I expected. It was a similar feeling to transitioning from turning the clock back one hour for Daylight savings. I now feel like I’ve gained hours back from my life. Before, when I would finish watching TV for the night, I always felt like time flew by quickly – taking my life with it.

What are you really watching?

Another thing I realized was that the majority of the shows I was watching were re-runs! There is very little value to be extracted from watching episodes of Friends, Seinfeld, or The Simpsons over and over. Watching news channels often makes me depressed, because there is a greater emphasis on tragedies and accidents. Frequently, I would get up from a TV session feeling like I gained nothing from the experience. Is what you’re watching really worth your time?

Squeeze those creative juices out.

Television is all about other people in the world trying to input certain ideas into your head. When you spend hours and hours absorbing all of these external thoughts, you never allow yourself the chance to create your own ideas. Quitting television means you will no longer be “shown” (literally and figuratively) how to think. When you finally do act on your creative ideas, you will have something to show for your time. What exactly do you have to be proud of for watching endless hours of TV?

While I don’t think you should throw out your television or unplug it immediately, I do believe that you shouldn’t make it a major part of your life. It can provide a needed laugh now and then, or something to talk about with your friends, but it simply cannot substitute going out there and experiencing life first hand.