Unexpected Advice for Watching Less Netflix (Hint: It's Not About Restrictions)

00:00:00.000 | All right, we got a question here from Carolina.

00:00:05.400 | Carolina wants to know about Netflix.

00:00:10.040 | She says, "What is a good way to smartly use streaming platforms such as Netflix?

00:00:13.360 | I really enjoy watching movies and series, but I feel that I'm not always in control.

00:00:18.160 | I can get trapped in them, and instead of watching just one episode of a series, I end

00:00:22.520 | up watching three or four.

00:00:25.840 | What would you suggest is the best way to use these platforms wisely?

00:00:28.360 | Keep in mind that this is a pleasurable activity for me."

00:00:34.000 | I'm not super worried about it, first of all, Carolina.

00:00:36.840 | So if what we're talking about is it's the evening, like you've done your work and you

00:00:43.720 | time blocked and you had your shutdown, and you plan to watch one episode and then do

00:00:51.480 | something else and go to bed, and you watch three episodes instead.

00:00:54.080 | I mean, it's not the worst thing.

00:00:55.560 | All right, so let me just first say that.

00:00:58.360 | Now, if you're doing this like in the middle of the day, "Oh, I wanted to watch an episode

00:01:02.920 | during my 30-minute lunch break, and I end up taking two hours off."

00:01:06.040 | Okay, that's a problem.

00:01:07.520 | Solution is simple.

00:01:08.520 | Don't touch stream platforms during the workday.

00:01:09.520 | But if we're talking about in the evening, you're watching some interesting show on Netflix

00:01:12.960 | and you watch for an hour instead of 20 minutes, I mean, I'm not super worried about that.

00:01:18.760 | I'm not super worried about that.

00:01:21.160 | A few things I can suggest, one is multiple people told me during the research for my

00:01:27.440 | book, Digital Minimalism, multiple people told me that they had success with a don't

00:01:34.520 | watch Netflix alone rule.

00:01:37.480 | These are younger people, typically people who had roommates, et cetera.

00:01:42.240 | And they didn't want to get lost, like spend all of their free time on streaming platforms.

00:01:46.840 | They had a rule that says you can watch it as long as someone else is there.

00:01:49.320 | So you can still get the social benefit out of the platform.

00:01:53.120 | I want to sit and watch a series with my friends, and it's social and that's fun, but get rid

00:01:58.040 | of the mindless distraction potential of the platform where you just sort of watch it on

00:02:03.000 | your own for a long amount of time.

00:02:04.440 | So that might help.

00:02:05.440 | Two, I think you should just structure better your other high-quality leisure activities.

00:02:10.280 | So if you have more structure and clarity around the other stuff you want to do with

00:02:14.760 | your free time, you know, I'm trying to do like Cal's five books a month challenge.

00:02:20.520 | Getting into making, and I've joined an online community where I'm trying to build something

00:02:24.100 | and I meet once a week with people or I'm into fitness.

00:02:27.160 | And now I have a trail running group that we meet once a week and I need to train for

00:02:31.000 | it.

00:02:32.000 | If you have like structured, focused, engaging, hopefully somewhat social high-quality leisure,

00:02:37.720 | then that will just take up good time.

00:02:39.960 | And it will take that time away from just getting lost on Netflix.

00:02:43.680 | You know, I mean, this is the other issue when some people complain, they spend too

00:02:46.360 | much time staring at these streaming services.

00:02:48.000 | It's because they're filling a void.

00:02:50.080 | They don't know what to do.

00:02:52.900 | Work is over.

00:02:53.900 | It's not time to go to bed.

00:02:54.900 | I'm a little anxious.

00:02:55.900 | I'm a little sad.

00:02:56.900 | I don't know what to do.

00:02:57.900 | Let me just get lost in this.

00:02:58.960 | And the right answer, if you're in that situation, is not just white knuckle it and stare at

00:03:02.680 | the wall.

00:03:03.680 | It's find something even better than Netflix to do.

00:03:06.140 | So when it comes time to watch Netflix, like, Hey, look, I was just out on the trail all

00:03:08.840 | day.

00:03:09.840 | I just finished building this thing.

00:03:10.840 | I just finished my fourth book.

00:03:12.880 | Now I'm going to watch some Netflix.

00:03:13.880 | And okay, maybe I watched two instead of one or three instead of two.

00:03:17.040 | It doesn't really matter.

00:03:18.600 | So you can make your leisure clearer and more structured and higher quality.

00:03:22.960 | Then you leave less oxygen in the room for the streaming services.

00:03:25.800 | So I will give you all that advice.

00:03:27.560 | But again, my foundation here is I'm not, I'm not super worried about you watching it

00:03:31.200 | a little bit more than you want.

00:03:32.600 | I'm worried if it's what you're spending all your time doing.

00:03:34.960 | I'm worried if it's getting in the way of work.

00:03:36.840 | And so that other, those other pieces of advice should help in that situation.

00:03:41.800 | [MUSIC]

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