This month I tried not watching Netflix. It was kind of by default, but it was still hard nonetheless.

I had been logged into a friend’s account for the past year, but one September day I was sadly surprised to see that the account had been cancelled. So, I didn’t (couldn’t) watch any Netflix this month.

Although it was still easy to get distracted on my phone or watching TV, the time I wasted was less than I would have wasted if I had watched a Netflix show.
The problem with Netflix for most of us I think, is that it is addicting. Once you start an episode, the next one starts in 20 seconds. I don’t feel too much remorse after one episode, it’s the second and third episodes that I feel really guilty for.

So I know it’s not as impressive as quitting Netflix cold turkey because I want to, but I did still keep myself from latching onto someone else’s account. My friends offered their passwords, but I realized it was an advantage for me not to have that option this month. Especially with a stressful senior year course load and college applications that need to be prioritized.

It was hard not to succumb to my desire to watch as much Gilmore Girls as I could before the premiere of its new season after a decade. It was better that I didn’t though. I didn’t “accidentally” stay up to 1:30am watching a Friends episode or start The Office at 4:00pm only to realize that I had been watching for three hours.

As badly as I wish I could say I was super productive and wasn’t distracted ever, I found plenty of other ways to lose track of time. I watched Tasty videos on Facebook, James Corden Carpool Karaoke videos, and scrolled through the popular page of Instagram.

I just don’t think it’s possible for me (or maybe most high schoolers) to not get distracted and take a break from studying. The problem with taking these study breaks is that it’s hard to decide just how much time off of homework you deserve.

All in all, trying not to watch Netflix was successful. I did not watch one episode. Not getting distracted or wasting time on technology is a different story; there were still plenty of ways to get distracted. The thing about not watching Netflix though is that I was distracted for less time. So even though I wasn’t as productive as I could be, I was distracted less, which is progress for me. This experiment is hopefully the groundwork for learning to not procrastinate or waste free time. But after my college apps are in, I’ll probably reward myself with one movie.