65 Things to Do Instead of Watching TV

How do I stop watching TV all day? If you’ve wondered this before, you’ve come to the right place!  While TV is fun and relaxing, it can suck up a lot of time (an average of almost 8 hours a day!) that we could be using to accomplish our goals.  This amazing list of 65 Things to Do Instead of Watching TV will help you watch less TV, so you can enhance your health and well-being.  Find all the best alternatives to watching TV right here!

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Did you know that Americans watch an average of 7 hours and 50 minutes of TV per household per day?  Let me repeat that– almost 8 hours of TV in ONE DAY!  That’s over 50 hours of TV a week (read all the details here)  This doesn’t include the amount of time that people spend on their phones, social media, playing video games, etc.

I totally get it!  I love watching TV, especially in the evenings.  There’s just SO much to watch with cable, Netflix, movies– not to mention football season coming up.  TV isn’t the problem.  It’s the amount of TIME we spend in front of the TV, when we could be doing other things to enhance our health, relationships, finances, and overall well-being.

So, how do I watch less TV?

When I realized all the awesome things I could be doing instead of watching TV, my incentive to spend hours a day streaming Netflix went way down.  I figured if I just cut my TV watching time in HALF, I would gain at least 20-25 hours a week where I could be accomplishing my goals.  Once I found out how many alternatives to watching TV are out there, it was easy to cut down.  So here’s my list of 65 amazing and productive things to do instead of watching TV!  Hope you enjoy and that it inspires you to create your own list!

65 Things to Do Instead of Watching TV

1. Grow herbs on your windowsill
2. Start a blog
3. Read a book
4. Take a walk
5. Start a yoga practice
6. Do a breathing meditation
7. Learn to sew, knit, or crochet
8. Try EFT tapping
9. Write a short story
10. Pretend you’re taking a trip around the world and research where you would go
11. Start a scrapbook
12. Find a new restaurant to try on Yelp
13. Plan your next vacation (this could be a real vacation or a fantasy one)
14. Relax with a coloring book for adults
15. Create your own smoothie recipe
16. Cook a new recipe from your favorite blog (check out F&F’s recipe index!)
17. Try a visualization or guided imagery exercise
18. Write a list of 5 things you want to accomplish in the next 5 years (and start taking steps to achieve them!)
19. Pretend you won a million dollars and write a list of what you would buy with it
20. Call or email a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while
21. Clean the house
22. Listen to an audiobook
23. Turn on some music and dance around your living room
24. Learn to play an instrument, such as piano or guitar
25. Learn to sing a new song from start to finish (including memorizing all the lyrics!)
26. Play a board game
27. Grab a friend or family member and share 5 things about you that they didn’t already know (and have them share 5 things with you)
28. Pamper yourself (manicure, pedicure, facial, etc.)
29. Start a gratitude journal
30. Shop online for a friend’s birthday or holiday present
31. Go through a cookbook and choose 3 new recipes to cook in the next month
32. Plan a fun get together with friends and family, such as a day at the beach, a trip to an amusement park, a picnic by the lake, etc.
33. Lie on an acupressure mat (ultimate relaxation!!)
34. Take a nap or go to bed earlier
35. Look through old photos in an album or on your phone
36. Cut pictures out of old magazines, catalogs, or newspapers to make a collage or vision board
37. Try making something with sculpey clay
38. Go through your closet and pick out at least one item you don’t wear anymore.  Donate it, give it to a friend, or sell it at a consignment shop.
39. Go stargazing
40. Plan a surprise for someone you love! Order flowers, cook a nice dinner, make a handwritten card– whatever will brighten their day.
41. Research volunteer opportunities in your area and make a commitment to help out at least once a month
42. Put together a list of inspirational quotes for yourself that you can read through the next time you’re feeling down or unmotivated
43. Become a certified group fitness instructor or personal trainer
44. Go to a museum
45. Attend a concert, play, musical, or other live performance
46. Take a bubble bath or an epsom salt bath
47. Take a class!  There’s tons of classes online, at community centers, and local colleges that cover a huge array of subjects.  You can take classes on anything from painting to cooking to blogging and much more!
48. Write a review. You can write reviews on Yelp, Trip Advisor, Amazon, and more!  It’s a great way to express your opinion, while helping others.
49. Go for a run!  You could even try training for a 10 K or marathon.
50. Take a group fitness class.  You can join a gym or a fitness studio for this.  You can also check out community centers for free classes.
51. Go to the library
52. Relax with a foot soak
53. Try a DIY project (I like making my own bath bombs)
54. Bake cookies, brownies, or cupcakes.  Share them with friends and family!
55. Have a yard or garage sale (make money & clean at the same time!)
56. Do online surveys for money
57. Spend time figuring out how to save money on groceries this week.  Look for coupons, online deals, download grocery apps, etc.
58. Go to the farmer’s market
59. Go on a hike
60. Relax with a massage. Try Reiki or reflexology for something new!
61. Go on a yoga or meditation retreat.  You can even do a weekend retreat at your house fore free!
62. Go outside and lie in the grass (or on a blanket).  You can meditate, watch the clouds go by, listen to the birds chirping, or just enjoy being in nature.  Be mindful and enjoy some quiet time outdoors.
63. Watch the sunset or sunrise
64. Spend time with your pet.  You can even adopt or foster a pet.
65. Become a tutor.  You can do this as a volunteer or you can make money from it.

I hope you enjoyed these 65 alternatives to watching TV!  Maybe you’ve found a few relaxing things to do instead of watching TV (bubble bath anyone?)  Or maybe you’ve found some fun things to do with your husband besides watch TV (there’s tons of non TV activities for couples on this list!)  Or maybe you’ve found some creative ways to improve your health as an alternative to watching TV.  No matter which activies you pick, even watching 1 hour less TV a week will do so much for your health! 😃

What are some things YOU love to do instead of watching TV?  Comment below and let us know!

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