Last Day of No TV

So here we are. I have survived my No TV/VIDEO GAMES challenge for the past 28 days. It definitely wasn't easy, but I did it. I did realize that when I'm bored, rather than read a book or work on a project, my go-to was the TV. This challenge forced me to get out there and actually do something. Go for a walk, or finally finish a project I'd been meaning to for months. I actually found myself wanting to be outside of the house with no TV temptations. It was hard with a roommate who watches the television ALL the time. But she was kind enough to mostly watch in her bedroom rather than out in the communal area where A and I would hang out.

My DVR is on overload. Thankfully my roomie would tell me when something would be close to getting erased so I could pick and choose what I wanted to keep. I think there's only like 10% left, but with tomorrow being March 1, I can help alleviate the problem and actually WATCH some of them before they get deleted.

It's been nice though, without the TV on. There have been more dance parties in my kitchen while I'm cooking. No one sees them, but I enjoy it. :) I decided that since we're at the end of this challenge, I think I might challenge myself to something different. My grandmother gave me an old crock pot that still works, so I think I might start trying new recipes weekly. Since I've been working out, I'm more conscious of what I eat and try not to eat too much crappy food. I don't want to ruin all the gym time I'm putting in with super unhealthy food. So we'll see how it goes...

Besides something for Lent, have you decided to take something out of your daily life for a 30 day trial?

28 Day Challenge - The first 6 days

If your significant other challenged you to 28 days of no TV or video games, would you accept?
I did. I accepted his challenge well aware of how much I would probably miss my TV shows. And do I? YES!!

We just finished day 6 and can I just say, I MISS MY TV!! While I don't miss it all the time, I do find myself craving it occasionally when I'm eating lunch or dinner by myself. The house is so much quieter. The first couple of days I was so crabby; snappy, even. It was like going through a detox. I kept telling myself "I'm bored. There's nothing to do." But it wasn't true. I have a lot of things around the house that could occupy my time, but I "needed" my TV. I needed the tv, not because I had to watch it, but because I couldn't. I'm perfectly fine reading a book, browsing the net or even finally getting to that project I've always been meaning to start/finish. TV was my background noise.

Here are a few things I've done since the TV has been off:
1. I've listened to my music a lot more in the last 6 days than I have in the last 6 weeks.
2. After 8 years of shelving a story I was writing, I finally pulled it out and started to finish it.
3. Took my dog, Zoe, to the dog park. She's in heaven.
4. Finished a book in 4 days and started reading another.
5. Walked to the library and spent my free time browsing their vast collection.
6. Actually used our Thai cookbook and tried my hand at Asian cooking. I made a fish curry. It turned out well enough that I would make it again!
7. Went roller skating. I haven't done that in years!

So I'm being a little more productive. I think I just need to make that list of all the projects that I've wanted to start or finish and pick something every day to accomplish. I've found that as long as I keep myself busy, I don't feel the need to watch TV or play video games. Being out and about makes this challenge a lot easier. It's the getting home and feeling the need to jump back into my old routine of vegging on the couch that has made this a little difficult. But I'm hanging in there and craving the TV a little less every day.

My original plan was to blog at the start of this challenge, but somehow that escaped me. So I will do my best to keep you all updated on the rest of my TV detox. Here's to weening off the things that rot my brain...