Help me be happier!

February 5, 2008 5:46 PM

I have lots and lots of free time and want to spend it more effectively.

I am an art student and I spend almost all of my free time watching television and surfing the internet. I also go to the gym fairly regularly. I am very much a night person and have all of my classes in the late afternoon. I spend only three hours a day in class with about an hour worth of homework a night.

Somehow, even with this less than hectic schedule I find myself stressed, bored and just feeling like I am not getting the most out of life. I am not looking to take any outside classes, but otherwise I am open to most ideas. Help me unglue myself from the television!

Did you used to be a tvahaulic? What did you do to change? What do you do in your spare time that makes you feel more relaxed, happier and like you are spending your time in a worthwhile way?

posted by thebrokenmuse to society & culture (25 comments total)

Well, since you're in art school I'll assume that art makes you happy, so how about making some art?
posted by ISeemToBeAVerb at 5:54 PM on February 5, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

I've never been a tvhaulic but I have been (and sometimes still am) an internetohaulic. Throw out the TV, or stop getting cable at least. Or even just turn the TV around or unplug it, so you have an extra step before plopping on the couch. For the internet, limit your surfing to specific sites or certain hours; physically unplugging works here too.

Or pick up a new hobby. Learn to juggle, dance, speak Italian, or weave baskets underwater. Works best, methinks, if you are scheduled to meet other people- there will be a local club for all of these (in a less formal setting than a classroom).

The second is what works best for me: I can't possibly be on the internet if I'm not at home. If you're a homebody, simply start doing something (book club? knitting group? musical group?) that requires your time when you're at home so you don't blob in front of the tv.

Another thing about TV: spend a month not watching, and you'll be so irritated by the ads that it'll take effort to start up again. (For me, this effect wears off after a few hours of watching again.. but still.)
posted by nat at 5:56 PM on February 5, 2008

I have a roommate who is a TVaholic, and from the outside looking in, day-to-day, it's kinda sad to see him. Unlike you, he does no physical activity, so you have a leg-up. Honestly, I think it's all about finding new hobbies. I got an Eagle's Nest hammock (www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com), and I regularly spend time relaxing outside in it. Climb trees, find books you like, learn a skill, throw the frisbee. If you're more intellectually inclined, work out your philosophy on life. Grab a Moleskine journal and just spend outside developing what you think of the world. I also picked up smoking a pipe from time to time...moderation leaves you with negligible health risks and a good time to chill away from the TV.

It's all about the initial push to get away from the TV. You can do it!
posted by jpcody at 5:56 PM on February 5, 2008

Soon after I graduated from college I was jobless, I found a few really small web development jobs and 4 months later I found a part time 24hrs/week job. I still had lots of time to fill so I picked up another web development job for 20hrs/week. While not necessarily relaxing, I feel like I am spending my time in a worthwhile way.

Except that now things have changed, and I have a full time job rather than my 24hr/week job and the other 20hr/week job on top of that, so I am working 60 hour weeks. Not fun.

So my advice, pick up some work that interests you and feel productive while making money. In a part-time situation, when you're done work you can still have plenty of time for tv and internet.
posted by Sonic_Molson at 5:57 PM on February 5, 2008

meetin.org can help you find activities in your city (depending on where you live), but just getting outside (walk, hike) will help you feel better. put an ad on craigslist for a partner to do something (community links)...
posted by hulahulagirl at 6:03 PM on February 5, 2008

Go find an amateur theater group; you can start by building sets, then eventually you might get asked to design something (if your interests lie in that direction). Or you could work on props, box office, or heck - maybe even act.

Trust me, free time will no longer be a burden for you. And you'll have fun.
posted by amtho at 6:04 PM on February 5, 2008

I should mention that I am in Savannah, GA. It's gorgeous, but not the entertainment capital of the world. Craigslist ect. are pretty dead.
posted by thebrokenmuse at 6:06 PM on February 5, 2008

Haha, Amtho, I recently transferred from a theatre Conservatory for Stage Management. I suggest this to others all the time but to tell the truth, I'm a little burned out.
posted by thebrokenmuse at 6:08 PM on February 5, 2008

I just recently had the same problem - way too much free time and no structured activities. It was really easy to spend all my time on the internets or watching tv. I began to limit my tv consumption to shows that I actually really liked, forcing myself turning off the set if I started to flip aimlessly or watch E! *shiver*. Turning to creative output really helped; I tried to write a lot each day, and also got an old guitar and started to teach myself how to play it. It was really fun accumulating a big word count or being able to play better. Knitting/crocheting is also fun because it's great having substantial when you finish a project.

On preview, I think Sonic_Molson's idea is really good too; getting a part-time job will give you something to put on your resume, get you out meeting new people, and making money is always awesome.
posted by andeles at 6:10 PM on February 5, 2008

The location does matter. So, then find a group that meets virtually. There are online groups for every hobby, so spend your (limited) internet time there, learning some new thing of your choice.

(Dancing will be harder, origami or writing or reading new books will be easier).

Another alternative: work your way through the books listed here.
posted by nat at 6:13 PM on February 5, 2008

Brokenmuse,

What kinds of things interest you? What kind of art are you studying?

Perhaps a little more specificity can help us point you in a helpful direction.
posted by ISeemToBeAVerb at 6:13 PM on February 5, 2008

I am studying photography right now. I spend a lot of time in class and when I actually do go out taking pictures and editing them.
posted by thebrokenmuse at 6:16 PM on February 5, 2008

(You go to art school and only have an hour of homework a night????Dang! When I went most of us pulled a lot of all-nighters!)
posted by konolia at 6:27 PM on February 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I found that it only takes about two weeks of cold-turkey no-tv before I lost interest in whatever drama and sitcom characters had been reeling me back in, and by then I was so pleased with the increase in free time that I didn't even want to turn the tv on.

So unlike smoking, TV is very easy to quit - it's full of annoying ad breaks, it wastes your time, and pleasure reward you get out of it vanishes the moment you turn it off - some drama just matter to your real life, it was only fascinating because it was in front of you. Now that it's not, you've got better things to do. (TV almost begs you to quit, as they push the boundaries of how many ads they can stuff into your leisure time before you stop watching the show altogether, and forcing bizarre behaviour like rearranging your own schedule to meet their screening times).

And that's what I'd suggest - don't merely cut back, simply quit completely. There is nothing on that tube worth hanging around for. (And if there was, it would be on the internet too)
In contrast, you will be old and decrepid before you've done half the things you want to do while young, fit, and beautiful. So just go cold turkey on the tv.
posted by -harlequin- at 6:38 PM on February 5, 2008

I think it's really hard to stop watching a TV that you have. So get rid of it. You might feel like you need the TV for something; but once it's gone you realize that you don't. We got rid of the TV, cancelled the newspaper and the New Yorker, and we don't miss any of them. Internet is harder -- this you actually probably need in your house. But from your question it sounds like the TV is the bigger problem right now.
posted by escabeche at 6:52 PM on February 5, 2008

Both are equally as terrible and I do them at the same time. As far as getting rid of it, my roommates would most certainly object.
posted by thebrokenmuse at 7:07 PM on February 5, 2008

I used to spend way too much time watching tv. I unhooked from that screen ... and starting to re-learn computer programming and am now making free software (very rewarding ... but now I am hooked to another screen ;-)
posted by aroberge at 7:20 PM on February 5, 2008

This might sound rather lame, but having been to art school (for film) I'd say it's a good idea to use this time to try and solidify a direction after you graduate. I used a lot of my free time during school to do an internship at a local post-house, an experience that ended up getting me a job as an assistant editor right out of school. A friend of mine, who was studying photography, started a photo gallery website during school photographing people at bars and clubs. Now he runs that same website as a business, so he basically gets paid to go out and have a good time (and he rubs it in ALL the time!!) Anyhow, my point is that once you graduate time becomes a valuable and scarce commodity, so I'd use this free time you have now to your benefit. Once you have something to pour energy into the TV and Internet don't seem so important.
posted by ISeemToBeAVerb at 7:23 PM on February 5, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Is there a Botanic Garden in Savannah? If so, or anything similar, you might consider volunteer work there -- gardening is a nice antidote to boredom, which seems to be the essence of your problem.
posted by anadem at 7:58 PM on February 5, 2008

learn to play an instrument or something. I've got a small ocarina I keep meaning to teach myself when I get the free time.

I had about 2 weeks of nothing to do at the end of my study abroad time - I'd seen everything I'd wanted to see, nearly all my friends had gone, and had no money. I went to the park every day and practiced juggling. After 2 weeks I could do 3 balls with various tricks.

You'd be surprised how much there is to do in a town, even one with a 'dead' scene. Someone out there wants to do something. Get a bike, go for a ride.

If you're like me, you'll have to get out of the house and away from the computer.
posted by Jhoosier at 8:22 PM on February 5, 2008

Lately I've been volunteering with the local community theatre--helping out backstage, learning to stage manage, doing props, sets, etc. I've met very cool people, had lots of fun, and learned some new skills (which are always in demand, because there are never enough knowledgeable people willing to do the backstage stuff). I've even recently been coaxed into doing some onstage stuff, which was more fun than I would have imagined (I'm shy). It was great to make myself go beyond my comfort level.

Since you're artistic, I'll bet there are theatre groups around who would love to have you do set work for them. And helping to put on a theatre production takes up LOTS of free time.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:00 PM on February 5, 2008

In order to step away from television, you have to step towards something.

It might be studies, work, a hobby, a project. Once television is out, you will have a whole of free time. I won't just fill itself by itself.

The couch in front of the TV is a terrible brainstorming spot. If you don't know what might spike your interests, you won't discover it sitting in front of the TV. It's uninspiring, dulling. I have to step into a different room than the Internet connection for inspiration on what to do next. Else the answer invariably is "read another web page".

If you still don't know what to do with yourself, do something random. Start simple if you must. Take a walk, go people watching, enter a museum, whatever. Do anything so long as it's new, and not-TV. You might enjoy yourself, you might not, at this point it does not matter. Trying many different new activities will engage your judgment, and awake your brain better than the couch.
posted by gmarceau at 5:55 AM on February 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I was going to suggest knitting as a possible hobby because it can be portable (so you can get away from the TV and go sit in a coffee shop if you want), it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be, and you get a concrete thing out of it at the end. As an artistic type you could design your own stuff...heck, you can even spin and dye your own yarn to go with it. Or, if you want mindless, you can make stuff that requires hours and hours of knitting the same stitch over and over.

But...then I thought about all of the time I spend on the internet reading about knitting, and browsing yarn, and listening to knitting podcasts (while knitting, of course) and maybe it's not the best if you want to break your internet addiction.
posted by cabingirl at 7:35 AM on February 6, 2008

Seconding a few of the posters above, I'm surprised you've decided that 4 hours a day is the right amount of time to spend on your education and career.

Do all the other students in your school have 3 hours of class and 1 hour of homework a day, followed by a whole lotta nothing? What are they doing with their lives?

If you're not doing art from when you get up till when you get tired, then you're not an artist and "art school" is just a scam so you can vege out for a few years.
posted by JimN2TAW at 3:12 PM on February 7, 2008

What I said sounds too rigid. Take time off for meals and exercise. Be my guest. But you're supposed to be an artist, right? When did you think you were going to start?
posted by JimN2TAW at 3:19 PM on February 7, 2008