Today, my colleague and I kick off another weeklong new manager development program. At the beginning of the session, we always do introductions to help the participants and us get to know each other a little better. One of things we all share is a fact about ourselves that know one would know unless we told them. Past examples include, “I once jumped out of an airplane, “I’m afraid of birds and don’t eat chicken, and from an older participant, “My father was born in 1899 and was 70 when I was born! One fact that I often share is that I follow a minimalist lifestyle and do not own a TV. Class reactions range from “how can you possibly live to “Hmm, I’ve thought about getting rid of mine, how is it going?
For me the decision to jettison the TV came down to two observations. First, one evening I was sitting in front of the TV with the remote control scanning the program guide to see what I wanted to watch on the satellite offerings. When I found nothing I wanted to watch that evening, I turned off the TV and picked up a book to read. When this scenario got repeated several evenings in a row, I decided (a) I was paying far too much each month for satellite/cable service that offered nothing I wanted to watch on a regular basis, and believe me there were a lot of choices, and (b) there were other more interesting things to do than watch TV.
So in my new digs in Minneapolis, a TV is missing in action. Here is what I have noticed:
1. I do not feel disconnected or out of the loop at all. I can still stay connected via the Internet and my radio. Quite a long time ago in the eighties, we were part of a Nielson survey in which we had to monitor our TV viewing. What I discovered was that about 75% of what I was watching was news and news-related programming. I can follow the news online , it is actually more timely than what appears on a TV and more convenient since I spend a lot of time online. And as a baseball fanatic, I can follow my favorite teams on the Internet, and listen to the games on the radio , which is how I did when I was a kid.
2. There were some TV shows that I did follow such as Monk, The Office, and mini-series such as John Adams. Well, all are available on DVD and I can watch them on my MacBook Pro. If there is a TV program I feel I need to check out, there is http://www.hulu.com/.
3. When I had a TV and a cable or satellite subscription I found that I felt compelled to watch because I was paying for it , it’s that cognitive dissonance thing we all experience from time to time. No TV, no guilt. I can now spend my time writing, reading, and with my friends in the lost art of something called conversation. For someone who focuses on how people work and play well with others, I get to do exactly that more often. I get more daily exercise , outside. And I am more mindful of what is going on around me because TV has not dulled my senses.
I want to be clear that I do not want to impose my life style choices on others. And I am aware of how TV shaped the lives of people , particularly of the baby boomer generation. I simply want to be open about a choice I have made , for now , and share the benefits I have experienced.