Why I no longer watch TV.

I am often asked where I find the time to pursue my various activities. Unfortunately, I don’t really have an answer. I don’t have the feeling that I do very much. Okay, it always depends on who you’re comparing yourself to. But I do indeed have a lot of time. Time to pursue different things. Søren Schaffstein played a major role in making this possible. He motivated me to think more about my time.

One evening in Düsseldorf

I can still remember it like it was yesterday. We sat together for a while late one summer evening and Søren told me that he was doing various experiments with vegetables in the garden. What grows well where? Which variety can be planted as an alternative? What can be eaten and how? I think I’ve cooked quite a lot in my life and know quite a lot.

That evening I learned a lot more about vegetables. I also know that Søren is a gifted photographer. Also something that takes a lot of time at this high level. And he works as the managing director of a software company. I first asked myself how he does it, and then him. His simple answer: I don’t watch television.

In the long run, we are all dead

That really surprised me. I never thought of television as a big time waster. And yet it is. If you watch 60 minutes of TV a day, that’s almost a whole working day a week. The average German between the ages of 14 and 69 watches 212 minutes of television a day. That’s a little more than 160 full working days of 8 hours each. In other words, we spend the equivalent of 72% of our annual working time watching television.

If this television gives you complete satisfaction, then you are doing everything right. Interestingly, this is not really the case. 50% of Germans said in 2009 that they were not satisfied with their television program.

That’s a typical pattern. You do something simply because you’re used to it, because you’ve always done it that way. Regardless of whether you really like it or not. On the other hand, you then get the feeling that you never have time. And to put the icing on the cake, 10 years later you have the feeling that time has passed incredibly quickly because you create a monotony of everyday life in which you can’t build up any differentiating memories.

The time span in which you live here is actually relatively short. Short, compared to the opportunities available to a healthy person today.

Be selective

Now far be it from me to give you any advice. If you like watching TV, then please do so. I think everyone should do what is right for them. However, if you complain that you have no time, think carefully about whether this is true or whether you are simply not using your time according to your needs.

And in general, complaining about something is by far the most useless way to spend your time. Because the only person who can really change your situation is you. So why should you complain to yourself about something? Just change it.