Passive Vs Active Entertainment

What do you Do?

This is a good question. I love asking it to myself regularly because when I answer honestly, I can see very quickly whether or not I’m spending my time wisely.

I think it’s important that everyone be able to answer this question. For many, the first answer that comes to mind is whatever they do for a living, or whatever they happen to be studying in school. It’s not a bad answer, but it isn’t complete. Recognize that what you do is so much more than just your job. What do you do when you’re NOT in the mood to watch TV, but don’t have work to do? Those answers are the ones worth telling.

And that’s the stuff that is valuable.

Please work hard to make your answer more than:

  • I do [insert job description here]
  • I drink on weekends
  • I watch Netflix

Yes, those things are certainly fun, and I don’t suggest you ever give up fun entirely. But it is such a shame to not have multiple interesting answers to this question. Everyone watches Netflix. That’s boring. Be productive. Do something that adds value.

Productivity is critical for scholastic success, but it is unsustainable to maintain a lifestyle that focuses only on school work. From time to time breaks will be necessary, and are in fact encouraged. Frequently taking smart breaks can benefit your brain and keep your ideas fresh, sharp, and free flowing.

Consider that even the breaks you take can contribute directly towards your interests and build upon your skill set.

Aim for active entertainment. Active entertainment is something that fits any of the following points:

  • gives you an opportunity to learn something new
  • allows you to physically move your body
  • exercises your thinking ability
  • encourages creativity

Some examples of Active entertainment:

  • running
  • long walk
  • journalling
  • painting
  • building a model
  • reading
  • writing
  • photography
  • cooking
  • practising bird calls
  • playing music
  • cross stitching
  • ghost busting… I think you get the idea.

Avoid passive entertainment as much as possible. Passive entertainment is largely a waste of time, making you feel lazy, uncomfortable, and dissatisfied with how you spent your time. Forms of entertainment that are fed directly to you with very little effort required on your end are passive forms of entertainment. Some examples:

  • Netflix binge watching (TV and movies)
  • gossip
  • browsing Reddit, 9gag, Imgur, etc. (I reserve those sites for a good poop session and that’s it)
  • excessive napping (20 minute naps are prime! More than this and you might need to improve your sleep habits)
  • online shopping
  • reading flame wars on the internet

Passive entertainment is utilitarian though, and DOES have some uses:

  • Use it when you are in desperate need of a mental break (we all need those from time to time!)
  • builds up inspirational source material, just don’t rely solely on this type of random inspiration, it doesn’t come often enough
    • examples: TV, Netflix, Youtube, Most sites on the internet, daydreaming

Just remember that you should strive to have more active entertainment than passive entertainment simply because it’s a more valuable way to spend your time. You may be more physically exhausted, but you will find that your mind is clear and your attitude is positive when you forgo the binge watching, mindless browsing, and lazy napping for an activity that lets you add beauty or value to your world.

Turn Passive Entertainment into Active Entertainment

Passive forms of entertainment have their place and their value. I don’t think it is realistic or healthy to expect yourself to be producing something 100% of the time, but I do think that most people stray too far into the passive end of existence for too much of their lives. When you spend all of your time reacting, you have no time or energy left to act deliberately; you become slave to your entertainment and become incapable of creating anything of lasting value. It’s extreme, but it is true. If you want to start turning your passive entertainment into active entertainment, that’s great! Here are a few points you should really keep in mind:

  • Start slowly. The first thing you should do is change your mindset. Just start paying more attention to when you flick on the TV, when you stray off to distracting sites, or when you feel like you’ve wasted time. Don’t judge yourself for these, just start to pay more attention to how much time you actually spend on passive entertainment.
  • Start watching more educational videos instead of regular TV shows. If you’re going to watch something, it should be something with at least a little substance.
  • eventually start taking and reviewing notes
    • Carry a notebook around or a note app and get into the habit of writing in it whenever an idea pops into your head (during TV watching and daydreaming especially)
  • Force yourself to convert small chunks of passive time into active time. Standing around waiting for someone? Pull out a book. Plans changed at the last minute and now you’ve got a free evening? Pull up a tutorial website and teach yourself something!
  • combine activities
    • Treadmill and TV
    • Walking and writing
    • video games and social interaction
    • ????? Get Creative!

The Entertainment Spectrum

I’ve come up with a simple concept to consider whenever you are looking for a fun activity to fill some free time, or to do during small breaks.

The activities are left largely up to you to figure out, but consider the following Entertainment Spectrum. The goal is to be as close to the active side of the spectrum as possible a majority of the time.

PASSIVE

  • sleeping (not strictly entertainment… but to each their own I guess)
  • watching TV
  • Netflix or similar streaming services
  • browsing time wasting sites (Reddit, imgur, Buzzfeed, cracked, Youtube, etc.)
  • listening to music
  • watching ‘educational’ videos
  • watching educational videos
  • watching educational videos and taking notes
  • research for an assignment, work project, personal project
  • Notes review
  • reading
  • writing
  • assignments
  • drawing
  • Design for personal projects
  • DIY Projects
  • Practice with an instrument
  • Yoga
  • Parkour
  • Cycling
  • Running
  • Sports

ACTIVE

The key to using this spectrum is to evaluate your activities and judge where they fall.

For example, sports are very physically active while sitting down and writing is mentally active. Both are excellent ways to spend your time!

Consider extremes on the spectrum. Writing or drawing don’t differ much, but watching TV or reading a book engage your mind in drastically different ways.

Up next

Core Values