Time Time Time .... Where does it go.

As the title suggests it seems like time just slips through your fingers .. figuratively speaking. All I seem to do at the moment is study and if I am not, I am at uni or looking after my little girl and doing house work. What a vicious circle. Mind you while I do this it seems like I am falling behind regardless of the time I devote to different things. How do I get more time .. aaarrhh!

TV is going well, I don't watch the 'BOX' at all during the day, in the office. With the exception of a couple of mornings when I am with Emma and it is more for her entertainment than mine (not in the office). However I need to encourage her to reduce her TV time, as she is becoming a little obsessed. If it is not the living area, it's the theatre and if not that then she will watch something on her iphone, what the ..... my daughter is a junky. BUT (which generally means everything before is irrelevant, or so I have heard) if you are a parent you would most likely agree, what ever keeps them entertained and out of mischief, especially when they are trying to assert themselves as a little person (2yrs old) is okay. However I do believe that if we don't set the right boundaries or instill the right values and lessons in our little people then they will carry those bad traits with them for life.

Back to the TV, I do find myself watching a little bit later these days, and what I mean by that is, I try to avoid the 'BOX' before 8.30pm unless I am catching the news or spending little valuable time with my wife (that's what we do - we are married), but on a couple of days during the week in particular mondays and tuesdays at the moment the popular TV shows are on. So in the interest of keeping social, during conversations with friends and what not, I watch! Which I explicitly claimed I would in the beginning, however I am aware that it is leading to me watching on after and although I am mindful, depending on when the programming I am watching stops and the time, I have found I would be like, it's late, I'm not going to get anything done, so I will just keep on watching, which is not the right attitude to have. Writing this blog is definitely helping to identify my issues and addiction to the 'BOX.' So thanks for those supporters who follow and I hope that there is something that you get out of it, entertainment or laughter, or lessons of how to help you be more productive.

While I should be studying right now because I have to catch up from a couple of days ago, I let it slip away. I will be off until next time ..... Committed.

Been a bit slack

Unfortunately the TV was on for most of the day today, although I was doing house chores etc I feel like I cheated on my commitment to cut down. I found at times I would stop and watch for a few minutes. It really emphasis how distracting the 'BOX' is.

Last night however was good, I managed to turn the TV off and study for most of the night in between surfing the net a little and chatting with a relative in the country over Facebook.

It is 2 am as I write this and my mind is finding it hard to function - damn I hate Windows. I have spent all night reinstalling windows on my PC much to my frustrations it is required at times, mainly because bureaucrats and vigilante software manufacturers refuse to accommodate the whole population rather than the majority. The best part is that the stronger Apple grows with support, the sooner these types will be left behind or be forced to conform and offer multi platform software or services, like in the case of the ATO - damn e-Tax.

Well I need sleep .. sorry about such a lame post. Until next time.

it's been a while ...

It has been a while since I have got to my Blog, thanks to all the supporters for their 2 bobs worth, STS. Where do I start.

The weekend was a bit of a wash out TV wise, a friend from out of town came to stay and getting old as we are, each night we seemed to find ourselves plonked on the couch watching the BOX, but I guess this could be technically classified as entertaining as this is what he wanted to do, not that there was much else to do with a sleeping two year old in the house. It wasn't like we could drink or head to the casino.... SO

Well as another distraction to avoid the BOX, among Uni and now the GYM which I started at the beginning of this month, I have joined an American Football Team or NFL - as they put it a legal form of violence. I like the technical side of the game, and you don't have to be super athlete to be good or participate. I made my first completion in a scratch match the other night and it felt so good. (a completion is running a play to achieve a first down, advancing the field towards the end-zone. FYI) I am quite excited about the team and a little nervous about the contact side, as we haven't padded up yet, so I am sure it is going to get a lot more physical. Not to mention after training, not that I have trained before or for over 4 hours like I did, but I was SO SO sore. I could hardly move, on the plus side, I am a little sore today, but considering, I think I have bounced back quite well.

I am consciously making an effort to turn of the BOX every day, tonight I watch Packed to the Rafters and Parenthood - the new US TV series on 7. After they were finished I turned it off rather than wasting the rest of the night away on the couch. So I did some much needed study, and obviously wrote this post so I am going to leave on that note because I feel quite good that I have been somewhat productive tonight.

GO the Curtin Saints ......

What really constitutes as watching TV ... ?

After saying good bye to a friend that was over for dinner tonight, I walked back inside where my wife was at work, and my daughter was sound asleep, there was an eerie silence about the place.....no TVs on just the soft hiss of the gas heater burning away one of our natural resources.

So the question that I ask is. What really constitutes as watching TV?

GRANTED .. sitting down wasting your life away in front of the "BOX" would be considered to be watching TV.

Having the TV on while you are working away in the kitchen? YES or NO.

Having the TV on while you are studying, or trying to? YES or NO (I do concede that this does provide a procrastination opportunity).

Having a TV series playing on DVD in the background while you are working either around the home or in the office? YES or NO.

I would like to know peoples opinions because although I have been trying very hard to adhere to the 2 hours I set myself at the start of this experiment there has been times where I have strayed due to having some sense of company, rather than just silence.

I think that I need to re-discover the radio or create a few playlists in iTunes.

I just toned out while Cougar Town was on next to me while I write this post. OMG I am doing it again ..... Wasting time on TV.

I am trying to do as much as I can at the moment on top of Uni, I have joined a gym and I'm considering joining a grid iron club, to keep my time busy. The problem that I have is that there are no constructive things to do without self motivation after about 8pm at night, which is generally when the TV time wasting kicks in. I know I should be studying but how do I motivate myself to do it? I have even started to go to bed earlier which is SO not like me and not to mention, not helping me be more constructive during this experiment ..... PLEASE does anyone have any suggestions?

I am needing some support........

Back on track ...

It's doing my head in ... not really I just thought that phrase went well with the pic to the right. The not really part is related to the TV or lack there of which is going well, I only watched about 2 hours tonight. Today Tonight - Some of the stories they show are lame, really and they are so good at giving off the wrong impression, for example tonight there was a story about feeding your family for $120 for 14 meals, although that is impressive, and doable, the story was based in the east, where the lady shopped at ALDI, we don't have ADLI in the west, well not yet and I am sure not as long as our trading hours are so screwed up, but I won't get started on that. Anyway taking things out of context really drives me mad, because it misleads consumers and TT often do that, I might have to add that one to the list of CRAP TV that I don't need to watch. Well in progression I watch H&A while I ate a lovely dinner my wife made, Spag Bol - Yumm. Then I broke away from the BOX for about an hour before reading a book to by beautiful little Em. We read "The Cat in the Hat Returns." which was fun to read but a decent sized book for a two year old, but I managed to keep her attention until the last page, I did, yes did I....

Finally I watched Packed to the Rafters which would have to be one of the most watched Australian TV shows around at the moment, and in the interest of keeping up to date socially, I watched it. Well that is what I tell myself to justify it anyway, and because I like I will keep doing so, so I will.....

That made up my about two hours, so I am happy with that. I just need to work out how to be more productive with the spare time now.

The thing that is really doing my head in, is Uni and I haven't even finished the first week. I feel like I am behind, and I need to get it under control other wise it will just keep slipping away. I even feel guilty about spending time to write this post rather than reading or attempting another exercise for one of my units. I will never the less do that after. FYI, I will add a bit about the challenges of my study along the way, as that is the thing that is taking the most of my attention away from my commitment to cutting down the TV. On the lighter side I do feel that TAX of all units will be quite good this semester, so many people hate it but for some unknown reason I enjoyed it a little. Go figure ... maybe I have found my calling but I won't rush out just yet, I will give it a few weeks and see how it goes. I am dreading tomorrows unit, Corporate Issues unfortunately a sore point that I am not willing to go into but I fear that this will be the most challenging of units for myself, not to mention the six text books that I have to read for this semester that cost almost $700 WTF.

However I feel that I am beginning to waffle a little and that is generally my cue to stop, so until next time ....... I am still committed.

Relapse

Well it didn't take long to fall into my old ways again, although I didn't waist the whole night away watching TV. I am writing this post while the TV runs beckoning me to watch on my right. Why can't I resist. I think it is just too easy....... not to.

Although some saving grace for my commitment, is that the most intense semester of university begins tomorrow and I am confident that it will offer me the distraction that I require to assist me to get over my addiction, or to at least forget what is on and where the story-line is so I am not tempted to turn it on.

I have just glanced across to sneak a peak at what was on, a movie "Sideways" most definitely not my type of viewing so I have willingly hit command Q and turned it off, yah! Although tonight has been a complete disaster on the productivity front, I was hoping to get some pre reading done for tomorrows classes and complete a pro bono job I am working on, but as I type away at five to midnight I am yawning in anticipation of my bed that is being kept warm by my lovely wife and unborn child. Another reason for my motivation to become less potato like and more Banana... if you catch my drift.

When my beautiful little daughter was born a couple of years ago that was motivation enough for me to quit smoking, and I am glad to say that I am still a non smoker. So I hope in the anticipation of my next child being born I can change for the better once again if not for myself but as to set a positive example for my kids.

Committed as I am .......