I got rid of my TV about
15 years ago and I have never regretted it. In this episode, I
provide suggestions for how to upgrade your media diet using far
better sources than broadcast media. Here's a summary of the system
that I adopted for my media diet:
I got rid of my TV (and radio and newspapers too). I did this
because vegging out in from of the TV was an addictive path of
least resistance for media consumption. I didn't want my choice of
what to watch to be limited to what TV channels would
broadcast.
I actively collect things to watch later from the internet,
from streaming services and social media. Everything goes into my
media queue. This is very easy to do with capture tools like
pocket, instapaper, WatchLater app and Evernote. I also collect
things to listen to later and read later in the same way.
I tag everything in my media queue with my own tags, so that I
know why I have collected each media item. These tags allow me to
organise my media queue by projects I am doing, topics I am
interesed in, or just different moods I am in.
When I want to watch something, I look at my tag lists and make
a conscious decision about what to watch.
Having a media queue helps me be more discerning about what
media I consume. I end up deleting many of the videos before
watching them because they don't seem interesting after all. I
highly recommend trying life without a TV.
A podcast about living a life of your choosing. Topics covered include financial independence, productivity, entrepreneurship, peaceful parenting, minimalism, and rational thinking.