Time. It is one of our most precious commodities, and yet, it is something that so many of us squander without giving a second thought as to how it might be better spent. One thing that never ceases to bewilder me, is how often people will say to me that they don’t have time to go out and pursue their dreams–and yet, those same people can tell you everything that happened during the last season of Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead or The Bachelor.

Now, please, please don’t take this wrong. I am not saying any of this in judgement, since I too, enjoy watching TV on occasion and understand that there is a time and a place in life for guilty pleasure. However; I do know (from personal experience) how much more fulfilling, enjoyable and rewarding life can be when we make the effort to regain control of our time and pull ourselves away from the television. I mean think about it…we all trade the minutes of our lives for something; do you really want that thing to be hours of zoned out disconnection in front of a glowing box?

If you are ready to start taking back control of your time (and ultimately, your life) and weaning yourself from hours spent in front of the television, here are 50 suggestions of things that you can do instead of watch TV.

50 FabYOUlous Things to Do Instead of Watching TV

1. Read a book. Television watching is meant to be passive (thus reducing cognitive development) while reading is an active mental pursuit (thus developing greater cognition). If you are looking for some suggestions on what read, click here for a few of my faves. Plus, as an added bonus, reading can make you sexier. It’s true! You can get the details here. 
2. Create a tabletop succulent garden. Not only will this simple project result in a beautiful centerpiece, it will bring a little bit of nature into your indoor environment which will help to purify the air and soothe your spirits. For a tutorial on how to create your own indoor succulent garden, click here.
3. Sign up for an online class in a subject that interests you. I just love the platform Udemy because it offers such a wide variety of classes on so many interesting subjects. I’ve used Udemy to learn everything from how to self publish a book to how to make a macrame plant hanger. If there is something that you’d like to learn, there’s a good chance that Udemy has a class for you.
4. Start a side-hustle–or at least start brainstorming side-hustle ideas. Is there a business idea that you’ve been noodling on for a while? Do you long to escape your day job for something that’s more fulfilling? Maybe now is the time for you to start thinking about starting a business of your own. You don’t have to have everything figured out right now, but maybe you can start jotting down some ideas and get the creative juices flowing. Who knows where this first step might lead.
5. Gather your family (or friends) for a rousing game of Jenga with a Twist. Seriously–it is SO fun. Or…if all players are over the age of 21, you might want to check out Drunken Jenga 😉 Directions (and a printable) for each game can be downloaded here.
6. Organize one messy drawer/cabinet. Throw away anything that you no longer need or want. Just think how much more organized your house would be if you did this every day for a month…
7. Plan a week’s worth of outfits. Not only will this snag you a few more minutes of sanity in the morning, it will give you an opportunity to asses if anything needs mending, washing, ironing etc.
8. Plan a week’s worth of meals. This one will add more sanity to your evenings by eliminating the hassle of trying to decide what to fix.
9. Download the ibotta app to your smart phone. This app lets you earn money on items that you buy all the time anyhow. Plus–you’ll get $10 free for signing up with this referral code link (while the promotion lasts). Last year, I banked all of my reward money and cashed it out to use for Christmas shopping. It gave me an extra $120 to put towards my holiday budget.
10. Go for a walk. Walking is so, so good for you. Click here for seven tips on how to rock your walk and make it even more productive. 
11. Sort your social media. Do you have friends on Facebook who aren’t really friends but you added them because you kinda knew them and felt guilty when they sent you a friend request, but now that you’ve accepted, all they do is pitch their new business 24/7 and try to get you to join their “once in a lifetime” opportunity? Or…do you have “friends” who are so wrapped up in drama, judgement and competition, that reading their posts literally makes you feel like you need to go take a shower afterwards? Yeah–we all have people like that in our social media feeds. Instead of letting these “friends” bring down your vibe or make you feel inferior, spend your normal TV viewing time going through your social media feeds and getting rid of anyone who doesn’t add genuine value to your life.
12. Clean out your purse. Not only will getting rid of the gum wrappers, old tissues and ancient receipts feel good, it will also make more room in your purse for important things, like, you know…money.
13. Go outside and get some fresh air. Bonus points if you allow yourself to walk barefoot in some grass, or (if it’s too cold) take some big deep breaths of fresh, energizing air.
14. Start planning a garage sale–a great way to get rid of some clutter and make a little bank at the same time.
15. Call your mom. You know that she misses you…and worries.
16. Go through your calendar and schedule some time for self-care. Make time for a massage, haircut or manicure. Pencil in some time to go to yoga class or to do some journaling. Get these me-time moments blocked out on your calendar for the next month and then stick to them.
17. Meditate. Unless you have been hiding out under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard about the many, many physical and emotional health benefits of meditation  (if you have been living under a rock, you can read more about those benefits here). So…instead of watching TV tonight, why don’t you give this incredible practice a try. Don’t worry–if you have no idea how to get started with meditation, you can check out this post for a full run-down on everything you need to know about beginning a sustainable meditation practice.  
18. Tune into some inspiring podcasts. I love podcasts. I listen to them while I’m working out, driving, doing laundry–you get the picture. No matter what you are interested in, there is sure to be a podcast on the subject. A few of my faves include Style Your Mind, She Means Business and Goal Digger.
19. Build some muscle. As a “sort of” runner, I am someone who does a decent job when it comes to building my cardio fitness. What I’m not great at though is strength training. If (like me), your muscles could use a little toning, use your TV time to do some push-ups, squats or planking. For my super-simple routine, click here.
20. Start planning your next vacation. Google things to do, activities in the area etc.
21. Start a savings plan for your next vacation. After you plan your trip, it’s time to create a budget to start saving for it.
22. Make a vision board. If you’ve followed FabYOUlous Life for any length of time, you know that I am a huge proponent of vision boards. Not only are they fun to make, they (when used correctly) are incredibly effective at helping to manifest incredible things, experiences, relationships etc. into life. For more info. on how to create and harness the magic of a vision board, click here. Here’s a shot of my vision board to give you a little inspiration…
23. Phone a friend. Remember the days when people used phones to actually call other people and talk? Call up a friend and have a nice chat. Sometimes it can be therapeutic just to hear the voice of someone you genuinely care about.
24. Learn to knit (or sketch, or paint, or write haiku…you get the picture). Find an activity that allows you to tap into your creative side (yes, you have one). If knitting ends up being your thing, check out this quick tutorial for my favorite (and easy to make) knit slippers.
25. Bake some cookies. I mean, what could be better than cookies? Earn some brownie points by taking the cookies to your office to share.
26. Give some extra attention to your four legged bestie. Pets do so much for us (click here to learn just how beneficial our pets are to our physical and emotional health) so why not spend a little extra time with your fur baby instead of zoning out with the TV.
27. Do some stretching. Not only does stretching out those muscles feel good, it also helps to keep you limber and less prone to injury.
28. Clean out your inbox. While “inbox zero” might be a pipe dream for many of us, there’s no reason for 4,352 old emails to be languishing in your inbox for months on end. Take some time to start sorting out those messages that truly are important from those that need to be deleted.
29. Watch a make-up tutorial on YouTube and then give yourself a mini-makeover. Who knows–maybe you’ll finally master the “smokey eye” without looking like Alice Cooper (no offense Alice–you totally pull it off)
30. Organize your computer desktop and files. No more wondering where on earth you saved that file to.
31. Get it on. This is my hubby’s favorite suggestion on this list–just sayin’. Seriously though–what can be better than a little nooky? It burns calories, strengthens your bond with your partner and releases stress. Oh yeah–there’s also the fact that it feels awesome 😉
32. Listen to your favorite music. Jazz, country, death metal–if it’s your jam, crank it up.
33. Join or start a MeetUp group. If there is a subject that you’re interested in, there’s a good chance that someone else is interested in it too. Check out Meetup.com to see if an interest group already exists in your area, but if not–start one.
34. Take a nice, warm bubble bath. Make your bath extra decadent with these simple DIY bath bombs.
35. Start a gratitude journal. Nothing can shift one’s perspective and raise one’s spirits faster than expressing gratitude. Click here for seven simple ways to put the power of gratitude to work in your life.
36. Get crafty. Make something with your own two hands. For starters, you can make this fun vacation memories photo frame. 
37. Give yourself a mani/pedi. Studies have actually shown that having well kept nails is a confidence booster for both women and men. For tips on how to give yourself the perfect pedi, click here.
38. Take a nap. Sure–we might have fought nap time when we were four years old, but now that we are adults–NAPS ARE AWESOME. The key to feeling refreshed after a nap is to only nap for 20 minutes or so. If you nap longer than that, your body will slip into a deeper sleep cycle and you will feel groggy upon waking. 
39. Research volunteer opportunities. There are so many worthy organizations out there that are looking for committed volunteers. If you have time and talent that you’d like to offer, check out the Volunteer Match website to get information about volunteer opportunities in your area.
40. Do a crossword puzzle or solve a Sudoku. Not only are puzzles fun–they help prevent premature brain aging.
41. Clean out your fridge. You can pitch anything that is past its “use by” date and use the good stuff to plan your weekly menu (see item #8).
42. Sweat it out. Break a sweat by doing 100 jumping jacks, going for a jog around your neighborhood or simply going up and down your stairs until you start to feel the burn.
43. Do the laundry. Especially since your clothes are now sweaty (see above entry).
44. Write down your personal and professional goals for the next six months, year, three years. Then, follow up by making a plan to start working towards them.
45. Give your honey a massage and then have them give you one in return. Not only does this one feel so good, it might also lead to item #31 on the list–wink.
46. Make a plan to create your own “sacred space” in your home. Click here for some great suggestions on how to go about doing this.
47. Write a letter. This letter can be a love letter to your partner, an appreciation note to a friend, or even a wisdom letter to your younger self. You don’t even have to send the letter if you don’t feel like it–just the act of writing can be therapeutic on its own. 
48. Play. Whether it’s riding a bike, jumping rope, rollerskating or shooting hoops–choose an activity that brought you joy as a kid and spend some time indulging in it as an adult.
49. Have a conversation with someone you care about. If you can’t think of anything to discuss, you can start by downloading the free ebook, “365 Questions to Help You Find Your Answers” and picking out a few questions to use as conversation starters.
50. Start a Pinterest board on a subject that you love. Be warned though–Pinterest is SO addictive. Seriously–my family is threatening to stage an intervention for me based upon my Pinterest addiction. This would of course be called a “pintervention”–HA!

While it certainly isn’t expected that all of these suggestions will be appealing to you, there are sure to be a few on this list that you can easily implement the next time the urge to spend an entire evening vegged out on the couch, watching TV hits. I truly believe that the quality of one’s life is determined by the choices one makes. Make the commitment today to take back your power from the television and reinvest your time in personally meaningful activities–your future self will thank you.

Don’t forget to click the image below to download your TWO free ebooks: “365 Questions to Help You Find Your Answers” and “50 FabYOUlous Ways to Energize Your Life”

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