Life after Netflix: How to conquer your binge-watching addiction

Life after Netflix: How to conquer your binge-watching addiction

Nicole Askar, Staff Writer

I look at the clock. It’s 11:04 P.M. I just spent the last four hours watching TV shows on Netflix. I realize I need to make a choice: do I pick up the book that has been sitting next to me for the last four hours or do I watch another episode? I decide to start studying. After hours of using Netflix to procrastinate, I delve into my schoolwork, and I ask myself: Am I wasting my life away on Netflix?

Netflix, which has over 50 million members worldwide, has risen to prominence in the last few years as the leading media streaming site. In an informal survey conducted on CCHS students, approximately 81% said that they use Netflix, and 69% of those surveyed admitted to binge watching. The majority of those surveyed said they were likely to use media streaming sites when they are procrastinating.

Senior Angela Hitchcock said, “I use Netflix to watch TV seasons continuously.”

As I watch hours of Netflix, I make a mental list of more programs on Netflix that I want to watch. Said list would require a lot of time that I may not actually have. So how do I deal with this dilemma? I procrastinate on my work, convincing myself that whatever I am watching is more important, falling into a devastating cycle.

I then remember everything I need to do: every essay I need to write, every test I need to study for, every college application that I have barely touched. I recognize that I have more important things to do, but I cannot bring myself to do them.

Senior Catherine Smedley said she does this “because [she] would much rather watch TV shows than do [her] homework.”

Students use media streaming sites to escape their troubles because watching someone succeed in a movie or TV show convinces us that the loose ends in our lives will somehow come together. The irony is that by excessively using media streaming sites, we limit the time we have, dissipating the myriad of opportunities we have for actually achieving success.

So how does you deal with your procrastination issues?

1) Take action. You cannot achieve your best work by sitting around hoping for the best.

2) Try creating a schedule for yourself. You might be lying to yourself when you go on Netflix and say you will just watch one episode. With a schedule, you can plan specific times for work and play.

3)Have a friend or family member monitor you. Although this could get annoying at times, your friends and family want you to do your best, so they will keep you from wasting too much time.

4) Distance yourself from distractions. Consider temporarily deactivating your media accounts. While you may miss engrossing yourself in hours of your favorite TV show or staring at your Facebook newsfeed for hours, the results will be positive.