Are You Watching TV Right Now?
Don’t you just love some good ol’ TV? It would be so easy to say that I hardly ever watch television and that it’s bad for the entrepreneur because you can be spending your time doing something more productive, say, like running your business.
But let’s keep it real here, most of us watch TV and love it. I think it’s fair to say that most of us young entrepreneurs do more business running than TV watching, otherwise, I doubt that we’d ever been successful with our ventures.
I used to fight watching TV so badly! I used to say: “I’m an entrepreneur, I shouldn’t be watching TV at all. I should be spending most of my time running the business. TV is only going to ruin my creativity and turn my mind into slushy waste.”
But extremes don’t sit well with the entrepreneur – especially the young entrepreneur. It’s pretty extreme when you decide to cut yourself off from TV altogether.
When you live your life through extremes, you develop a dogmatic way of seeing things; you miss out on opportunities, and you become too strict for your own good. Here’s a good mantra: “everything with moderation.”
Like anything else — beer, partying, eating, sex (hmm… maybe not this one) — TV should be consumed in moderation. Too much of anything isn’t good. Too much of TV will, no doubt, turn your mind into slush.
Personally, I like to stick to a set of shows that I watch every week. Other than that, much time isn’t spent on the tube. Rome, Sopranos, House, Lost, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Prison Break, and Entourage are all must-sees for me.
I’m definitely in love with these shows with a sprinkle of National Geographic, Animal Channel, and the occasional MTV from time to time.
Com’on, we’re entrepreneurs. We deserve some TV time every once and a while. TV is a great way to take a break, let your mind relax, and refresh for another round of intense work.
When I’m having a busy day, I’ll take short 15 minutes breaks every once in a while and watch something to settle my mind. Sure, a walk or run would also do the trick but we don’t always have to time to get up, go outside, and start exercising.
What about you… Do you watch TV at all? If so, what shows do you like?
11 Comments
Adnan
March 16th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Yeah I watch TV loads!
Lost, Prison Break and The OC (was) are my favourite - although I do download them to keep in time with the States. On normal TV Im watching Dragons Den, sometimes Neighbours (an Aussie sitcom) and loads of soccer matches (Im a keen supporter of Chelsea).
So you could pretty much say im a TV-a-holic!
Patrick
March 16th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
I am pretty much the exact same way. I watch a set of shows and not much else. I watch 24, Prison Break, House, The Simpsons, Family Guy and The War at Home.
Brian
March 16th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
I don’t watch TV. In fact, I don’t even pay for cable in my apartment.
That’s because I prefer vids on the Internet, like those on YouTube and Metacafe. For me, it’s an escape similar to the escape one gets when watching television. But I like that I can watch them according to my own schedule.
Most of them are mindless, sure, but they give me a quick laugh. And sometimes that’s just what the doctor ordered.
David Askaripour
March 16th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Yeah, big ups to Prison Break and House! What’s a matter, you guys don’t love HBO? hehe….
Brian, yeah I like to watch stuff on the net as well… but not usually. That’ll probably change since all shows will be online soon enough.
Adnan, how’s Dragon’s Den? I hear it’s good.
Patrick
March 16th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Maybe you should have said “you guys don’t HAVE HBO”. hehe. That’s a premium channel.
David Askaripour
March 16th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Hehehe… good point, Pat
Lawrence of a USA
March 17th, 2007 at 2:52 am
i don’t watch prime time tv.
i usually watch jay leno…and conan o’brien.
conan is great for entrepreneurs - his offbeat personality and weird comedy sketches can really get the juices flowing
Michael
March 17th, 2007 at 7:10 am
I watch TV just a few minutes before falling asleep, and from time to time just for some minutes.I don’t feel attracted to TV anymore, when I can see all I want on the internet, at any time, and only things that I’m interested in.
David Askaripour
March 17th, 2007 at 9:06 am
I never really got into Conan… I’ll have to give him a shot.
Yeah, luckily, I never felt attached. Watching TV is just something I can do nowadays and not feel guilty about it. I guess I used to feel guilty.
Cheyne Rood
March 19th, 2007 at 9:33 am
I lived in Japan for a while, and TV there was UNWATCHABLE if you don’t know the language and are too poor for satellite.
So I got used to skipping TV. Nerdishly did more reading than ever — complete anthology of Sherlock Holmes, The Natural, Dubliners, Wicked — whatever I could get on the English rack at the bookstore.
And when I got home, decided to continue non-TV lifestyle. Internet is just as big (if not moreso) a distraction - case in point.
David Askaripour
March 19th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Hey Cheyne,
Yeah, I hear ya. I guess TV does become a distraction at some point… if you let it. But internet… no way! I don’t know what I’d do without the net… that’s my life baby!
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