TV and PhD .. can they co-exist?!

[layofotak]

Alright guys .. here is a common problem for all PhDers. I will start my PhD in August and already thinking about this. Is there enough time to watch TV for a PhD student?!

Here is a little background. I used to be a crazy TV watchers, from Sports to Series, from Movies to Talk shows, you name it. During my master studies I almost gave up everything but Sports (go to Theaters for movies, no more at home). As for Sports, I used to be a season ticket holder for my NBA team, which means going to every home game, and obviously used to watch the rest of the games on TV. The other sport I used to watch is Football, once a week on average.

Now for the PhD, I plan to continue watching every football game once a week, and limit my basketball games to the toughest and the more popular ones ( let's say 1-2 a week)

The question is, is this reasonable for a normal PhD student?.. Knowing that there will be a heavy load of reading, is this TV schedule doable?.. keeping in mind some other regular activities such as going to the gym about three times a week, and the regular stuff like eating, sleeping, grocery ... etc.

I would love to read your opinions, especially from TV lovers who already faced this situation? .. Thanks in advance.

[honkycat1]

of course. People always over-exaggerate how much time they will be spent working. PhD is hard work but I know of NO ONE who work so hard that they have given up TV. But, in the end, its time management. Though, if you know you have a problem with it, and you can see the "future you" spending 5 hours every night watching TV, then I may not get one. Also, I can't work well with noise, if I had TV on while I "work" I would not get anything done. So yes, you CAN have a TV, most people I know have a TV and they haven't dropped out yet.

[SeriousSillyPutty]

Funny you should mention this. I don't watch much TV, but I got hooked on "Bones" two seasons ago. Like, really hooked on it. But then they went on hiatus, and when they came back it didn't work with my schedule, and I never finished the season, even though I'm sure it's available online. Since right now I'm in a "meh" phase, I'm thinking I should keep it that way and not watch the rest, so that I don't get hooked again and can take it out of my schedule for this fall. (But I feel like a bit of a traitor!) TV is a funny thing.

[fuzzylogician]

I think the problem is less with how much time you want to spend watching TV and more with not being flexible about when you want to watch TV. Some weeks you'll have more free time and some weeks you'll be busier. In some cases you'll have pressing deadlines and you'll simply need to work and put other activities aside for a while. If you can tape your games and watch them later, you'll do fine. Same for if you can have a game in the background while you work (especially if the game is taped and you can rewind for exciting events you happened to miss). We can learn to make time for the things that are important to us, whatever they are, if we can keep an open mind about how.

[TakeruK]

For most questions like "Do I have enough time for X", I think there are two main answers. First, what fuzzylogician said: Being flexible on "when" -- I don't actually have TV with cable service, I watch streamed videos of my favourite shows when I have time. Secondly, you do have free time as a PhD student, it's just a question of what else you want to do as well. I would say most graduate students I know spend about 50 to 60 hours a week "working" (reading, coursework, research, TA, all that) but of course it depends on your specific program/work group/phase of your degree/time of year! This leaves a modest of time to do whatever you like -- I'm not sure what else you like to do / how much time it takes, but if you are worried about having time to have fun / do work, then personally I like to budget the amount of hours in a week I spend on each thing.

Many grad students are hardworkers so it's easy for us to spend way more time working and not enough time on ourselves. Grad school will take as many hours from you as you let it, so decide how much time you want to put into grad school and log your hours so that you stick to it. If you are worried that you are spending too much time watching TV then log those hours too!

[layofotak]

of course. People always over-exaggerate how much time they will be spent working. PhD is hard work but I know of NO ONE who work so hard that they have given up TV. But, in the end, its time management. Though, if you know you have a problem with it, and you can see the "future you" spending 5 hours every night watching TV, then I may not get one. Also, I can't work well with noise, if I had TV on while I "work" I would not get anything done. So yes, you CAN have a TV, most people I know have a TV and they haven't dropped out yet.

Thanks for your response. The problem is I'm planning on leaving little time daily for TV, but I can imagine myself running to the TV whenever my mind is blowing from work. And if your problem is when the TV is "on", to me it is a problem as long as the TV is in front of me, because I know when it is "Off", all I need is a remote control

[layofotak]

Thanks "SeriousSillyPutty", "Fuzzylogician", and "TakerUK". I like your ideas of time management and taping or watching online. Time management is the most topic I have been reading about on this forum and many others. Like many have suggested, I plan to spend 50 hours per week working, like 8 hours daily and 5 hours on the weekend. That should leave some time for TV in the evening.

I'm not sure about taping or watching online. Sports fans will tell you how that would take a lot of joy out of it. If I had to skip some games, I would rather watch Sports Center's highlights and save my time.

As a final note, just in case someone misunderstands me, I'm not saying its either a PhD or TV. Of course, I'd throw the TV from the window if it is stopping me from my dream. But I just can't picture myself giving up my hobbies just like that. I know it will take part of my daily schedule and it is harder to manage your time if you have many things to do. Thanks everyone and I welcome more suggestions on how people have done it !!

Edited July 10, 2012 by layofotak

[rising_star]

layofotak, I watch college football every Saturday, and probably 1-3 NFL games per week, depending on my schedule. For me, this is something I've been doing for years, so I know what work I can get done during the game and I plan on not being super-productive on Saturdays to accommodate my desires. It works out fine because I plan for it. Often, I'll outline a paper, review notes, grade student work and update the online gradebook, search for new journal articles, etc. while the games are on. Or, I'll DVR the game and start watching it 45 minutes to an hour after it starts which, at least for football, means I can fast forward through all the pauses and commercial breaks and watch the end of the game live.

I'm sure you can find a balance that works for you. Don't listen to the naysayers that say you can't watch a few hours of TV per week and finish your degree. Only you know what works for you.

[natsteel]

I'm not sure about taping or watching online. Sports fans will tell you how that would take a lot of joy out of it. If I had to skip some games, I would rather watch Sports Center's highlights and save my time.]

Don't be so quick to dismiss it. I'm a huge supporter of an English football club (as per my avatar). They often play mid-week afternoon matches, which I download later (especially when I have class during the match). Watching it that way doesn't take the fun out of it. I find it less joyful to just watch the highlights. However, if you're the kind of person who likes to go on Twitter during games, you will miss out on that. I also have to avoid all social media until after I watch the match so I don't see the score, but it's a small price to pay for getting to watch the match instead of just the highlights.

I'd say the overall amount of time I put in per week averages out to around 50, sometimes a bit less toward the beginning of the semester and definitely a little more at the end. And I have a young family. It really IS all about time management. As long as you remain focused during your work time, you should easily have enough time left over to watch your team.

[layofotak]

Thanks rising_star. I like the idea of doing some work while watching. Some work can't be done obviously because of the focus that I need to put on, but like you said, I can definitely search for articles or outline a paper. I can see myself doing this especially while watching a less interesting game.

[layofotak]

Don't be so quick to dismiss it. I'm a huge supporter of an English football club (as per my avatar). They often play mid-week afternoon matches, which I download later (especially when I have class during the match). Watching it that way doesn't take the fun out of it. I find it less joyful to just watch the highlights. However, if you're the kind of person who likes to go on Twitter during games, you will miss out on that. I also have to avoid all social media until after I watch the match so I don't see the score, but it's a small price to pay for getting to watch the match instead of just the highlights.

I'd say the overall amount of time I put in per week averages out to around 50, sometimes a bit less toward the beginning of the semester and definitely a little more at the end. And I have a young family. It really IS all about time management. As long as you remain focused during your work time, you should easily have enough time left over to watch your team.

Arsenal fan here too .. the last part of your post is so relieving. Like I have said, I plan to devote 50 hours per week, and it helps to know that another sports fan, with a small family, have done it this way.

Thanks a lot my friend.

[michigan girl]

I have cable television even though I don't watch much TV. I do follow a few shows (no HBO though). I keep the service because I was able to lock my rate at <$45.00/month. In that case, it's totally worth it.

Edited July 12, 2012 by michigan girl

[OregonGal]

I currently have cable tv because my roommates like their shows. That being said, I certainly take advantage of it! I'm not planning on having cable once I move on to grad school, partly to cut down on expense. Instead, I'm going to be relying on (mostly legit) internet streaming--Hulu and channel's sites--to be able to schedule my TV around my grad school schedule.

If I did get cable, it would be so I could watch my college football games and those I would want to watch live

[Chasely]

I rarely watch anything on live TV anymore. I download all the shows/episodes I want to watch and watch them when I want to. It's nice because then the entertainment is on your schedule. Want to watch that episode starting at 8:12 in the evening? No problem! It means that you waste less time in commercials and waiting for your shows to start.

[Dal PhDer]

I am dating TV. Seriously...if I am not at work or at home doing work, I am normally relaxing to TV! As others would say, gradschool is often what you make it. If you are spending 24/7 working, you won't have time for anything (and will be burnt out!)....an important skill/lesson to have/learn is to manage your time. Make sure you get YOU time, friend time, and family time, between work. it is possible! Like others have said- if you are flexible, you will really be surprised at how much you can fit into your life outside of school!

PS: Just don't start any of the Real Housewives series...you will be sucked in and never be seen again!!!!

[katerific]

I actually watch more TV than I did as an undergrad. Granted, I used to never watch TV... but after using my brain for a bajillion hours straight, HELL YEAH I wanna watch some Hoarders. (That show in particular also helps motivate me to clean.)

I do a lot of labwork, and sometimes I have to sit around babysitting my cute little vials for a while. If it's not a demanding task, I will pop on Netflix and watch a disgusting amount of Pretty Little Liars.

[Minxlareina]

I actually like watching my shows on television when they come on live as much as I like watching online. On the one hand, I do like being able to watch shows on my own time. On the other hand, I find that I get more done if I have a show to watch at a particular time. It actually pushes me to get more work done in some sick, twisted way =P

Also, like most of us, I spend most of the day staring at a computer screen. Personally, I don't necessarily want to come home and spend MORE time in front of a computer screen...not even to go on fb or twitter.

[ktel]

PVR has become my best friend in grad school. Fastforwarding through commercials is key. Although it is less enjoyable to watch recorded sports games, in my opinion, because part of the excitement is that it is live and anything can happen. When the rugby world cup was on I had no choice but to PVR most of the games due to when they were on, but it meant I often somehow knew the outcome of the game before I watched it. This made it a lot less enjoyable to watch.

[Usmivka]

I also tend towards streaming shows that I can start/stop/watch whenever, even if that is for 5 minutes at a time (I may be a little antsy when I sit too long...). I do have a TV, but only watch it with headphones--I really dislike having to listen to my neighbors TVs through the ceiling and floor when I'm trying to work (I live far from my office/lab and often have to do work wen I get home in the evenings), so I go out of the way to make my TV silent ot everyone else in the hopes that others will return the favor--a forlorn hope, I know. Anyway, with headphones, I might as well just plug my laptop in and use the TV as a giant screen anyway. The reception is terrible if I try to use the TV to watch live shows, and we can't get cable in our neighborhood.

If you are a sports fan, there will be others like you in school. You could pick some key games (say one per week/month depending on your itch) to make social events, which can also be hard to steal time for in grad school (e.g. all go to a near campus pub or to a grad student's apartment, where working while watching is more normal).

I definitely also watch more TV than I did as an undergrad, again going from none to some.

Edited July 17, 2012 by Usmivka

[lk447]

Haven't started my PhD yet, so I can't speak from that experience, but I did make time for TV in undergrad (more than I should have, probably!). I really dislike watching recorded sports events, so I found ways to watch live. I completely agree with Usmivka about making big games a social event, either at your place if you have a tv or at a sports bar. It's actually a great way to meet new people as well, because people seem much more willing to talk to strangers about a game they are watching than they are in other situations (if you can find the right bar). Your university probably has a lounge with a tv tuned to sports, so you can meet other students there (probably mostly undergrads). If you don't want to have a physical tv, ESPN3 (on their website) usually works pretty well, though with a somewhat limited selection of games. There are also illegal sites that stream live games of varying quality. These are great especially if you are moving out of your area, because they have every game.

Another way to get in your tv-watching is to do it at the gym. That way you can combine your activities and watch tv without losing any additional time. I find this a better doubling of time than trying to watch while doing work, no matter how light the work. Most have tvs tuned to sports. For regular shows, a friend of mine brought her iPad to the gym and watched from there while she ran, which made the gym more appealing and doubled-up her time, so if you happen to have one you could try that too.

[katerific]

Oh, I also forgot to mention this. I used to watch ZERO sports, despite doing my ugrad at a school VERY big on football (and other sports). Seriously, never cared, didn't want to, etc. As a graduate student, I actually have started following some sports. Two reasons: 1) it's been harder to meet people, and sports chit chat can really break the ice when meeting some people, and 2) I hang out with a ton of Europeans, so we always met up to watch the Euro Cup. It sure is interesting to watch some of the most polite, demure people go bonkers over a game. So yeah, sports on TV helped me socialize (???).

I still actually don't care about sports, though.

[layofotak]

Wow .. never really thought of TV-watching to socialize, maybe because I like to watch alone to focus and cheer on my team . However, from the previous comments, it looks hard to socialize while doing PhD. I liked the idea, at least for the less important games. Thanks for sharing guys.