WATCHING ME, WATCHING TV

As discussed in recent posts, I've been watching myself watching TV lately, trying to figure out how best to use (and not use) it in my life now. The more I did this, the clearer it became that the volume of TV I watch isn't truly the problem. Yes, I've been turning the tube on too much, and with too little conscious choice about what I was doing. But it feels as though its the unconsciousness, the lack of intention, the sloppiness you might call it, that's the real culprit in making my use of TV counterproductive, rather than the number of hours I watch or don't.

With that in mind, I've begun to create a new set of guidelines for myself. Here are the first four; a few more to come some day soon.


1. Get, and stay, out of masochistic judgmental minimal mode. As I mentioned in my last post, I've realized that my view of TV tends to be very harsh and moralistic, a stance that leads me to unhelpful and unrealistic plans and produces a knee-jerk belief that less must absolutely be better. (If you've ever tried to diet by suddenly cutting out every single food you perceive as bad, you'll know what I'm talking about. It's unnecessarily punitive, and it just doesn't work.)

2. Consciously choose what to watch, and to watch that with real enjoyment. Because I so often used to "watch" TV while doing something else, even the best programs weren't truly a source of relaxation or refreshment. My new commitment is to truly watch the majority of shows I turn on (see one exception below) with the quiet and focus I would give to a movie in a movie theater. When I choose to watch a program, I'm actually turning everything else off, sitting down in one place, bringing a beverage or snack, and being really present. The change in feeling this produced was strong and immediate. I actually feel relaxed while doing it, rather than just pretending to "chill."

3. Pay attention to just how well that enjoyment works, or doesn't. Sometimes a program that sounds like it's worth real time and focus is, but sometimes it isn't. Two PBS programs I tuned into last week showed the difference. Ken Burns' Baseball documentary felt utterly absorbing to me: visually rich, historically fascinating, and emotionally moving. Masterpiece Theater's Mystery last Sunday was not. I chose it because I like both Agatha Christie and David Suchet, who plays her detective Hercule Poirot in the series. But the program, while visually stylish, didn't actually grab me on any imaginative, emotional or intellectual level. Had I not been fully focused on it, I'm not sure I would have noticed. But this time I did—and, in consequence, gladly turned off the tube and picked up a book.

4. Distinguish between my different uses of the TV. Looking more closely at my television usage, I realized that an hour or so of the TV I "watch" some days isn't really used as TV at all; it's my personal version of listening to national and international news on radio, and a reasonably good and interesting source of information at that. Rather than feeling guilty about it, I've decided to embrace it—and go right ahead with doing the dishes, sweeping the kitchen, unpacking the groceries or whatever while I listen. I guess another way to say this is that in contrast to guideline 2, some TV is perfectly fine as a multitasking tool.