I have over six hundred books on my reading list, most of which I own. Some of them I have never read before, others I want to reread. They weigh on my mind and clutter my room. Some I want to read so I can check them out for my blog, Lover’s Quarrel, and others just seem like fun. Wherever I look in my house, there are tons of books to read. I also have four reading apps on my phone.
But too often I turn to Netflix when I have some free time. I love Netflix. With all its binge-perfect shows and movies, I find myself itching to run a That 70’s Show marathon (again) rather than wanting to read Diana Gabaldon’s Voyager for a couple of hours. Don’t get me wrong, I love to read. And there have been many times in my life when I preferred reading to watching television. But after starting college and gardening as a summer job, I must confess that my reading habits have seriously declined. I even had to take a short break from Lover’s Quarrel because I had no more books to review and couldn’t find the will to read more.
Ironically, Netflix became my favorite leisure time activity for the same reason that I prefer books to television – it requires less imagination and energy. All sights and sounds are provided to me so that I don’t have to expend precious mental energy and imagination, which are seriously depleted during the school year.
But Netflix quickly becomes a vicious cycle. It is very tempting to watch it when I have the energy to read, or even when I should be working. Fortunately, there are ways to get away from Netflix and go back to reading, as well as unsubscribe from Netflix (let’s not get too crazy).
Listening to music or white noise has helped a lot. It gives me the same stimulation as the audio from a TV show, so it keeps my reading free from distractions. I have a white noise app that I like and I found some really good “Music to Read” videos on YouTube. Audiobooks also take me away from Netflix because I can knit or clean while listening to them.
However, the most effective thing I have found to get away from Netflix is to keep binge watching. Not seriously. Once I found an amazing show and became enormously obsessed, I can’t stop watching it until my episodes are gone. And after I run out of episodes, other TV shows are ruined for me for a while. That happened with Stranger Things and I’m sure it will happen once it hits That 70’s Show season 8. Since all television is ruined for me anyway, the best I can do is find a book that I know will be just as addictive as a good television series. And that will steer me away from Netflix. In the meantime, I’ll have to force myself to read while putting up with my television craze.