During a busy school year, anytime I get a little time to relax it is spent watching netflix. My day off from sports=netflix. Got all my weekend homework done on Saturday=netflix. Whatever show I am obsessed with at the moment gets all my attention whenever I have time. The problem is: if you’re a teenager and you want good grades, sleep and a social life- there is no time! You are lucky if you get two of those three things.
With that, the first thing that seems to go is sleep. Say you had a 4 hour practice and didn’t get home until 10pm, you pull an all nighter. Say you didn’t finish your homework until 2am- but you are like me, and can’t go to bed without watching at least one episode of Friends. To a hardworking student, it seems sleep is the only thing we actually have any control over- so we throw it out the window. Here is my advice for the hardworking student that needs a little bit of netflix to function.
I usually watch 1-2 series a year, and I plan it out perfectly. I alternate between drama shows (usually 1 hour episodes) and comedy shows (usually half hour episodes). I watch a drama show over the summer, and a sitcom during the school year.
Drama shows (like Grey’s Anatomy, American Horror Story and One Tree Hill) require a lot of attention and time. After all you have to do is done, staying up to watch one episode already makes you lose an hour of sleep- and we all know, it NEVER ends up being just one episode. These shows are known for cliffhangers, they lead you to binge watch at unwanted times. One episode leads to an entire season in one day and no sleep, especially since netflix only gives you 8 seconds to decide you need to go to sleep, not watch more.
However, sitcoms (such at Friends, Seinfeld, The Office) are perfect to watch during the school year. They require very little attention, and they offer comedic relief. Watching a show that stresses you out is not good during school. If you can multitask, you can even watch these shows while doing homework. With barely any cliffhangers, these 20 minute episodes are perfect to watch before bed or during a free. One episode a day may also make you understand and enjoy the show more, rather than rushing to the end.
It is very hard to stop watching TV all together during the school year. Watching one episode a day of a comedy show is a good outlet when you need a break from school.
Quick, finish your drama series now before it becomes a huge distraction during the school year.
