Ah, Time.
Once time passes it is gone to history forever. We can capture tiny bits of it with pictures and video, but it is forever a moment in the past. We yearn to have more time. We bemoan to our family, friends, and coworkers over the seemingly insufficient amounts we have.
Americans ascribe our lack of time to a million reasons. Some are true and others are outlandish. Yet, I bet you will not say this:
“I have no time because I waste it watching television.”
I know I never heard it once. It drives me nuts when people say they have no time and then yap on about the latest reality show, movie, or sports game. This is what most Americans do:
Bored? Put some TV on.
Feeling lazy? Put some TV on.
Hungover? Put some TV on.
So how much time do people waste? On average Americans spend 2.80 hours per day watching TV, and another 1/2 hour playing video games. That’s a total of 3.20 hours each day, 22.4 hours a week, or a total of 48.5 days a year wasted in front of a TV.
Do you constantly complain about not having time to get things done? Well, you just found 3 hours to take care of it RIGHT NOW!
Best of all people ALWAYS complain about their cable bill and the pitiful service they receive. The top company on that list of complaints has always been Comcast for those I’ve talked to, and I can personally agree as a former customer.
Yet no one ever bothers to stick it to the cable company, and shut their service off!!!! I find it crazy that people will put up with that much dissatisfaction in exchange for their hard-earned money. I’ve seen people quit dealing with other companies for even less.
However, they will not sacrifice their TV.
So I challenge you today to call up your cable service provider and cancel your service. Relish the sound of the company rep squirming to keep your business. Then clearly let them know you’ll no longer be utilizing their useless service.
You’ll reap a variety of benefits you never thought possible. For one, you’ll have a surplus of time to do everything you ever dreamed of. You might even find yourself with more time to stay in shape, start a business, learn how to cook, visit family and friends, read books, learn a new valuable skill, or do anything your heart desires.
Ironically I’m publishing this article 90 years to the day when John Baird first unveiled his televisor to the world. He unknowingly set off a 90-year period of decreased human mobility, empty pocketbooks, and plenty of time wasting that just so happened to support a whole new industry of jobs where the ultimate end is a poorer you. How unfortunate.
It’s so unfortunate that you are likely one of the casualties. Let’s assume Comcast or AT&T have been sucking you dry the past year for $150 a month. On top of that let’s assume you sacrificed a weekly part-time job for 22.4 hours a week earning $30/hr.
Bad news. You are out $36,744 in total this year.
No wonder why people are broke. Instead of being productive they voluntarily fork over money to ensure they are even less productive. Then they get blasted with advertisements for unnecessary items to purchase like pickup trucks despite not having a construction business or luxury cars even though they live paycheck to paycheck, gambling sites, chain restaurants with bad food, and countless other useless items since that’s what most commercials are for.
Anything that is a component of a happy life is never advertised on TV, just garbage that falsely promises to make you happy.
Let’s see what your newly found $36,744 would turn into over the next 20 years. If you invested this money each year earning an 8% annual return then you would have $1,803,580.51 to your name.
HOLY S***!!!
You should be throwing your TV out the front window, cutting the cable line with wire cutters, and celebrating your emancipation!
Of course, you aren’t really going to do that though. What you will do is buy a cheap HD antenna for $50 bucks, and watch TV for free in very reasonable amounts(2-3 hours per week is what I suggest). Supplement that with an ultra-cheap streaming service when it’s time for a movie and homemade popcorn. You’ll find that there is virtually no sacrifice in your entertainment options, and you’ll be much richer in the end.
*I personally waste about 6 hours a month with this modern-day thief via online streaming and free HD antenna broadcast television. The antenna has amazing resolution by the way, but I usually watch informative documentaries and a handful of TV shows(Survivor,Amazing Race, Shark Tank, & The Profit).
