Roughly a year ago, I cut off my cable and got rid of the television in my bedroom. 6 months ago, I got rid of the remaining television in my house.

Here’s what tossing the TV can do for you:

1. Better sleep – I don’t know about you, but I struggle with going to bed. I’m not sure what it is, but I have a child like obsession with staying up late. It’s almost as if I believe that I may miss out on something by going to bed. Since getting rid of the TV in both the bedroom and the living room I’ve gotten better sleep. Without a television in my room, I have no choice but to go to sleep. Without a television in the living room, I am more likely to fall asleep in my own bed instead of on the couch and avoid interruptions in the middle of the night from the television sounds or light. How often do you fall asleep to the TV noise in the background?
2. Better use of space – I always knew that I loved music and loved to dance. I now know that I love dancing around the house. It makes me feel free and helps with stress relief after a long day or long week. Without a reason to plop on the couch, I started using my living room in ways that I never considered before. The day that I took the TV out of the living room, I danced for an hour straight. How would you utilize your space differently if it weren’t centered around the television?
3. More time – The first week after I removed the television from my living room, I would come home and think to myself, “Okay, what now?”. It took awhile to find productive ways to utilize that time. At first I was filling that time by scrolling through Instagram and Facebook, but soon I started cooking, talking with friends, working on my blog, working out and just enjoying the silence. How would you fill the time if TV weren’t an option?
4. Less excuses – Getting rid of the television keeps me from wasting hours watching TV shows and forces me to use that time to focus on my goals. When I got rid of my TV, I had a goal of losing 30 pounds. Removing the TV helped me work towards that goal. I began walking 7 or more miles per week, cooking and meal prepping 80% of my meals and making my health a priority. By the end of 2017, I was down 20 pounds and by March of 2018, I’d lost another 15. I did all this by simply putting time spent watching the television back in my day. How many items could you knock off of your to-do list if watching television wasn’t an option?
5. More perspective – This may come as a shock, but I’ve decided that I want to own a TV again. When this journey began, I was blaming my television for wasting my time. Now I know, that I needed to work on my self-control and learn how to be intentional with my time. As a result of this experience, I’ve decided that that I want to own a television again but I still have no desire pay for cable. I don’t miss binge watching Netflix or watching Young and the Restless, but I do want to use the television as a tool for education and occasionally for entertainment. I needed to take this step to get clear about the role of television in my life and create new habits. What does your relationship with your TV look like?

Would you toss the TV? Why or why not?