Stop Watching TV....

Rich people do what it takes to succeed...

Average people watch American Idol.

I'm not 100% against TV, but I tivo what I like and limit it to less than an hour a day, sometimes I'll go a week or two without turning it on.

Just kind of a life sucking time waster, but it can be entertaining.

-Scott

There are inspiring shows and very negative ones. I think the key is to watch TV on purpose. Most of the time we watch just to have something to do when we know we should be doing something else. Its just another form of procrastination. There's nothing wrong though, with enjoying television. Just avoid all the bad news channels and look for something fun and entertaining. And if you are going to watch TV then watch TV. Don't try to do two or three things at once. Like I said watch on purpose. Enjoy yourself. Then turn it off and get back to work.

Depends on what you're watching, I suppose
...although I'm sure that time spent watching Jerry Springer each day would not put negative thoughts in your mind. :-)

same could be said of the time alot of us spend online..as opposed to building out business easy to get sidetracked on a forum or chat..and the next thing you know a couple hours have gone by and you've done nothing to grow your business..heck it's worse then Tv

I'd say it depends on what you watch. Personally, i enjoy watching some on the Discovery Channel, History Channel etc. Things i can actually learn from. But the majority of tv has no informative value, unless you actually give a damn who was cast off of blah blah show this week.

Also, TV is a passive experience. You sit down, stare at a glowing box for a while, turn it off and go do something else. It's there to pass time usually, and rarely brings any good use. Hell, even the "news" stations these days are becoming just a bunch of random stuff that has nothing to do with anything.

Soooooo yea. Watch something with an educational value, and I'd say it could be good. Watch something like Survivor season XXXIVXIV and I'd say you are rotting your brain =)

I am completely against TV. I do not watch any at all. Even the shows that are somewhat educational, on channels like Discovery and History. I feel I can get more valuable information in less time from Wikipedia or YouTube. I refuse to waste my time or money on television.

I keep it on, in the background as I work. You never know when or where an idea or new trend will come from. As a marketer, you need every channel open to receive information. The real question is, "can you be discipline enough, to not let external stimuli pull you away from your objectives??" "Can you quickly identify valuable information from all of the media channels? This board can be a distraction, if you let it.

i grew in an environment that limit tv, and had a lot of activity to be done... i must confessed that i feel blessed growing in that kind of neighborhood..

although, TV sometimes brings us to current news... what's up with the world...

TV's are good but I don't want them too often.

Hi guys,
I saw this post and just had to comment!

Toooo much TV ='s crazy!

I live in a house with 3 women! Most of the time all they ever want to do is watch soaps, reality tv programs.=, talk shows - you name it they are on it!

Don't get me wrong, there are some good shows, and some interesting ones... but there also those that just suck away peoples time and energy!

I try not to watch alot of tv.. I'm not dead against it, but i think when someone starts to arrange there lives around what shows are coming up on the box - that gets crazy!!

tv was never my thing . because it doesnt make move my hand , my mouse to find useful information in the internet to make me improve in every way to get success in im. so yea there is probably more disadvantage than advantage , in a way.

Yeah, TV is addicting and think about it this way.
Why do you have to look all those people on TV? why not become one of them?
TV gets you lazy.

The competition in the entertainment world is a bigger force than us --- that's how I believe many of us if not all become scape goats.

I personally accept that I'm one of those as of now ... and will work not to watch TV for more than an hour. As there are exceptions always ... a sports channel can take the better of me

Watching TV + Hoping online from one offer to another = some syndrome ..

wherein many of us, if not all wants to come out from.

However, one must believe there are great minds behind 100's of channels/shows just to catch your attention ( Read TRP's)

--- I accept that I often become a scapegoat of it. I'll definitely wish to work my way out to limit these distractions.

You got some ideas pls share

I feel that at least skipping News is an excellent thing. As an aside, I've sometimes quizzed people who watch a lot of news, on their views in relation to what they've been watching. They seem sort of bedazzled and have no idea about the subject matter they've been looking in on.

I never watch TV. This is a habit you must form, and basically all succesful people are watching little to no tv. Once you form the habit, you won't even feel like watching TV. Except for a good movie every now and then... Movies are a great source of inspiration for me

Television is an escape for some

I watch sporting events and a few shows like the office, etc. Comedies only. TV just doesn't interest me anymore.

I like to relax with TV, AFTER all my work is done. I'm known for my House obsession (particularly the older seasons), but pretty much anything on USA will entertain me.

I will agree, though, that there IS a such thing as too much. I can't have it on while I work. I constantly have music playing when I'm on the computer, because it's predictable and repetitive while at the same time is enjoyable and keeps me going.

I also say books are better as far as keeping your mind active is concerned; I always feel sharper when I'm currently stuck in a book.

Rich people have large libraries, poor people have large televisions (which they are normally paying off).

I agree with that. Especially the news. I haven't completely eliminated TV, but I've definitely cut down and done more productive things.

Good thread. I have personally cut down a lot of TV, apart the odd show here and there, some quality comedy and the football ofcourse. I stay away from watching the news, I used to Watch the news quiet a bit, and I've experience only positive results.

As mentioned by moneysoapbox above, I much prefer Reading a quality book.

But when it comes down to it, it's all about everything in moderation.

My take on this is what programs you watch and when. I like to relax infront of a Tv watching my favourite movies/soaps. TV distracts if you dont plan your time well. I work first and a way of chilling before heading to bed, i watch CNN for the news then thats it for the day.

I really cant stop watching TV since it is one of my past time whenever I am not busy or tired working already

It's not that we must stop watching TV. It's just don't make it a habit or watch too much. I personally have only 2 TV shows I love to follow.. and each runs for one hour. So total I spend 2 hours per week watching TV because I love those shows. I do spend watching random stuff but that won't be more than another 2 hours per week.

Content is the key. Many venues are not worth the time to fix attention upon so I don't I watch them. Certain programs expand my point of view but I don't let the device limit my expansion via other sources.

If you control the TV content there is nothing wrong with it but a steady diet will not help anyone get to their goals unless it is to be a couch potato.

I like reading more than watching TV. I could only stick to TV for about 30 mins, after that I am always tired. Reading is different, I enjoy the learning process from it.

I only watch certain programs on tv: sports, sometimes movies.

Most the time watching TV is a waste of time
especially late night with all the get rich infomercials.
We know those are all bad news!!
I find that TV epically the news is very negative
they never say anything positive..
I usually turn it off!

I know that I do not watch the news anymore. I actually got the idea from the book 40 Hour Work Week, when there is something important that is happening, someone always brings it up to you.

I think that if you have enough control over your own mind that you are fine. Some people have more control and discipline than others.

But, I do think TV, in general, over time, can have a numbing effect on people who watch it. It lulls people into a state of oblivion, and TV almost becomes a surrogate ego which we take on unconsciously to live out the possible thoughts and emotions of our own ego without us having to experience them fully for ourselves. Living vicariously?

TV can be informative and can be entertaining in certain doses, but one shouldn't let it seep too much into one's mind or take up much of one's time, especially if you are working for yourself.

I have not watched tv for over 6 months now. The initial reason is to not let my 6 year old daughter watch it because of the negative images and messages that even some recommended TV programs have. Instead, she spends a lot of time reading little books and doing crafts (drawing, painting origami etc..) and her creativity has improved.

Anyway, because of it, both i and my wife stopped watching TV and that increased our productivity in general. Also we found that it's a lot easier to stay positive because you don't hear any negative stuff that you would definitely get frequently when you watch TV. So it's almost like information diet in order to deliberately stay focus on the positive side of our lives. Because when you feel good at all times, you attract more of goodies to your life! (But I still spend 5 minutes online to skim through the daily news just be informed quickly but I do my best to not read too much about negative news.)

I don't watch alot of T.V but I must admit that I am hooked on heroes. I do like my movies though. I find watching movies to be a great activity to zone out, which as a result makes me more focused when I get back to work.

Too much television just wastes your time in my opinion.