I love the fact that nowadays we can simply type in a show or movie title and be able to stream it just minutes later. Gone are the days of trekking to Blockbuster to rent films or waiting for your Netflix DVDs to come in the mail. However, having so much access to shows and movies through streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime has become maybe a bit too convenient.
According to research, on average Netflix users binge-watch up to five hours consecutively in one sitting. I personally can vouch for this as I pretty much watched the whole series of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in one day earlier this Summer (amount of time glued to the screen aside – it is SO good!). You always think that the next episode will be the last episode you watch, until, before you know it, you're on the last season and it's 2 a.m.
So, this got me thinking: What would I have time for instead if watching any form of television was not an option for one week? Well, the answer is a lot. Read on to see.
Reading 
Even though I took streaming out of my daily routine for a week, I still yearned for the escape and stimulation that watching a series gives me. To help with this, I paid a visit to my local library and took out books from all different genres – nonfiction, fiction, and self-help. I finished some books in a day, others in a week. I discovered that my love of reading that I found at a young age was still with me and I couldn't get enough.
Today, I am back on the streaming bandwagon (I have to finish Boardwalk Empire, after all), I now have a refreshed love and appreciation for the library.
Fitness 
During my week-long streaming hiatus I finally joined Classpass, something that has been on my to-do list for at least the past six months. Less time in front of the screen gave me more time in the classroom – I took everything from outdoor yoga classes to barre and Pilates.
Cooking 
Many times while in the middle of a series, I tend to just order food via a delivery app to ensure that I do not miss one single detail. However, by cutting out streaming I realize that I actually have more time to make dinner from scratch, which not only proves to be healthier, but easier on the wallet, too.
Sleeping 
I cannot even count how many times in my life I have said, "Just one more episode and then I will go to bed." Subtracting streaming from my nightly routine meant one less reason for staying up later. I found that by not watching Netflix (or Hulu, or Amazon Prime, or HBO Go . . .) before bed, I went to sleep, on average, two hours earlier. Yikes.
Activities 
I found my schedule to be more open since I knew I could not fall back on watching a series if I was feeling bored. This new freedom brought me to nature, inspiring museums, and new restaurants. I became more interested in everything that was going on around me and did a fresh activity almost daily.
Final Thoughts 
Opting out of using streaming services for a week allowed me to really become aware of how much time I spend getting sucked into a show. Although I don't think I will swear off the services indefinitely, I do think that I will plan on cutting back my time spent in front of the screen dramatically. Until the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel comes out, that is.
