7 Ways to Hold Onto Your Netflix Addiction and Still Have Time for Other Hobbies
Too many things to do, not enough time
If you want to have hobbies and a life outside of Netflix, the key is to be strategic about how and when you watch.
It might not feel like it, but there is actually plenty of time to catch up on your favorite shows, exercise, spend time with friends or family, and pursue a handful of other hobbies or interests.
In the past, I spent far too much time binging shows, feeling like I never had enough time for the things that I always claimed I wanted to do like write, learn a language, read, etc.
Now I’ve found that it’s not about either or, it’s about getting intentional about how and when you do everything.
Here are my personal tips for fitting Netflix into your busy life by combining your watch time with these everyday activities.
Walking or Exercising
If you don’t love to exercise, adding in the incentive of watching Netflix can help give you the motivation to get yourself on the treadmill.
Unless you’re watching a show with subtitles, I find that I don’t need to be 100% focused on what I’m watching.
Instead, I can multitask.
Cooking and preparing meals
Personally, I hate cooking and find that I get bored waiting for my water to boil or for my veggies to roast in the oven.
I love putting on a show and can usually watch an entire episode as I’m chopping veggies and waiting for my food to cook.
Folding laundry and doing chores
Most people, myself included, don’t love cleaning, tidying, and keeping things in order around the house.
Watching a show as I’m folding laundry makes the time fly by!
Doing dishes and cleaning off the kitchen counters are also good activities to combine with Netflixing.
Waiting between appointments and errands
Having to wait for appointments or being stuck with long pockets of time between errands can feel really frustrating.
Instead of just scrolling through social media, catch up on 20 minutes (or more) of a show, leaving you time later on for other activities.
Browsing the internet
I love listening to shows in the background while I’m browsing online doing some online window shopping or skimming through articles.
While neither activity is super productive, I find that allowing myself 15–30 minutes a day for this is relaxing and afterward, I’m ready to do something else.
For activities like this, I find that it’s best to give myself a time frame or I set a timer so that I don’t sit down expecting to browse for 10 minutes, and then 2 hours have passed without even realizing it.
Watching with a friend or loved one
If you have the same taste in shows as your friends, partner, etc. you can start a show together, blending quality time with something you were planning to watch anyway.
You could either watch together or watch separately and then meet up later to discuss what you both watched.
Surprisingly, something as simple as experiencing a show with someone you care about and then being able to discuss and connect over it can be a lot of fun.
Checking emails
On those days when you know, you need to check your inbox but are procrastinating, try listening to a show at the same time.
Or, if you have a tablet or smartphone, you can prop up your device and watch while you’re checking emails on your computer.
Sometimes I will tell myself, “I want to get to inbox zero by the end of this episode.”
Or, “I’ll check and respond to emails for the next 30 minutes until I finish half of this show.”
Having a time frame or deadline is a helpful way to keep myself focused.
What you might find interesting is that I hardly ever watch Netflix or any other TV in the evening.
In fact, I almost exclusively watch Netflix (unless it’s a Korean drama) while I’m multitasking and doing other activities.
By doing this, I’m still able to keep up with my favorite shows, while keeping my evenings free to spend time with my husband, read, take long baths, etc.
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