Once upon a time, I would diligently follow maybe a handful of shows. But, in recent years, it has become easy to watch anything at any time, regardless of television programming and personal schedule conflicts. Now, whenever someone asks me what shows I’m currently watching on TV, it’s probably more accurate to say “all of them”. OK, so maybe that is an exaggeration, but I know I’m not alone in this. Between Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO Go (we have all of them *shamefully covers eyes*), instant gratification has changed the way people watch television and binge watching has become a favorite hobby and pastime. With our eyes glued to the tv more than ever before (and admittedly loving every second), there is still a way to be productive while marathon-ing and plenty of things to do while watching tv.
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As much as I am dying to see Jim and Pam’s relationship unfold from start to finish for the third time (any fans of The Office?), I simply can’t justify neglecting life for hours on end unless I am also marking items off my to-do list. While I am convinced that there is little one can’t do without carrying an iPad around and propping it on the nearest surface, I have compiled a list of easy, productive tasks to keep both your priorities and TV schedule effectively managed.
WHAT ARE SOME PRODUCTIVE THINGS TO DO WHILE WATCHING TV?
- Organize paperwork/mail
- Pay bills
- Laundry/iron
- Cook and prepare a meal (see some of my favorite, easy recipe ideas HERE)
- Plan your menu for the week/month (you can see my method HERE)
- Pin recipes on Pinterest (you can follow me HERE)
- Delete emails and organize your inbox
- Organize your address book
- Play a card/board game (see my organized game cabinet & a few favorite games HERE)
- Pull out a junk drawer to organize (see my full organization project gallery HERE)
- Online shop (Check out my favorites for current deals HERE)
- Knit/craft/DIY (Check out my DIY projects HERE)
- Organize photos on your computer – delete and sort into folders
- Catch up on social media
- Make to-do lists
- Update your planner (one of my favs is found HERE)
- Sync your calendars
- Clean out your makeup bag/brushes – toss old/expired makeup (see my makeup drawer organization HERE)
- Work out
- Clean out your closet
- Make your bed
- Create/refine a budget
- Mend holes and tears in your clothes
- Color in an adult coloring book (I love this one HERE)
- Paint your nails
- Make Christmas gift lists
- Edit photos (My LightRoom editing tutorial can be found HERE)
- Make music playlists – road trips, workout, chill, and party mixes
- Write thank you notes
- Clean out your purse
- Scan your receipts and sort into electronic files
- Clean up your phone apps
- Dust/sweep the room you are in
- Switch out and update photos in frames
- Groom your pet
- Organize food into pantry boxes (See my organized pantry HERE)
- Arrange flowers (you can catch my tips on creating a arrangements HERE)
- Create an inspiration board on Photoshop, PowerPoint, Pages, Olio Board, etc.
- Organize your jewelry
- Polish jewelry/silver (THIS is what I use)
- Take photos of magazine inspiration and toss old stacks cluttering areas around your home
- Browse real estate
- Drink wine/coffee
- Make list of home improvements and prioritize
- Have a party/dinner coming up? Brainstorm themes, menus, and guest lists (See all my entertaining and party ideas in the menu bar at the top of the page under “Browse by Category –> “Entertaining”)
- Update your Christmas card list. Bonus if you address the envelopes.
- Come up with a list of date night ideas and make online reservations
- Gather gift cards and find out balances (You can have THESE sent directly to you)
- Pace the floor to get in your FitBit/Apple Watch steps
- Style a tray
- Order groceries/household essentials on Amazon Prime Pantry (You can fill a box for a flat shipping rate; with each item, it shows how much space you have left in your box)
- Fill out a birthday calendar (You can add important annual dates to THIS PERPETUAL CALENDAR (the one I have), add as you go, and reuse each year)
- Roll change
- Shell nuts
- Brainstorm and create a blog content calendar
- Plan a vacation
- Make goodie bags
- Sign up with websites who offer surveys for cash and take them as you have time
- Wrap and organize loose cords
- Touch up paint/remove wall scuffs
- Find printables for wall art (see the gallery I created with free botanical prints HERE)
- Clean out your “Notes” on your phone
- Complete a puzzle
- Update your resume/credentials/media kit
- Test out your pens and markers and toss those which are dried
- Add physician and email addresses to your phone contacts
- Match socks and toss those without a mate
- Superglue discarded chipped items
- Put something together (boxed accent furniture)
- List items on EBay/Craigslist
- Portion bulk Costco/full sized bag snacks into single servings in baggies
- Re-lace/change laces in your sneakers
- Add key tags to your keys
- Organize medicine and first aid- discard expired (See my organized medicine and first aid HERE)
- Wrap gifts
I would love to hear anything you may have to add to this list by leaving me a comment below! And, just in case your list of to-dos now outweighs your DVR or episodes left in your current series, you can check out my favorite series HERE.
A FEW RELATED POSTS YOU MAY ENJOY
- Favorite Shows to Binge Watch (something for everyone)
- Three Things to Organize While Watching TV
- Full Organization Gallery for Every Space in Your Home
SCROLL & TAP TO SHOP
Kelley Nan,
GREAT list of tasks to be productive and yet keep up with the latest shows we are all interested in! THANKS!
Great ideas I love the one about pre doing the addresses on the Christmas cards great idea!!
Annabelle, I am so glad! Planning ahead for that crazy time of year definitely helps!
I love this list! And I totally dance/march around the living room to get my steps in. LOL I remember back before we had dvr’s/netflix/roku etc. I would quickly work on things during commercials. Now if I sit down to watch TV I make sure I have at least one thing with me to work on. 🙂
Yes, Heather! We are basically soul mates 😉
My personal favorite is #41!! Right baby?
Haha! I’ll get right on that 😉
Now THAT’S a list! Of course, #55 is my personal favorite… haha. Always the multi-tasker. Great job Kel!
Tana haha- It really has become one of my favs! 😉
Oh my…this is a fabulous list. I do some, but need to get to the rest. So agree with your number one bing watch. ..and number two…and number three…
We are so in sync! I love it- thanks for giving me my #1!
Awesome list! I can do #’s 56,57 and 62 while binge watching Scandal!???
Awesome! I am usually cooking or doing laundry during that one 😉
Love this!! So excited to finally get a chance to visit your blog and I must say I’ll be back!! It’s full of useful content delivered in a fun way! Congrats Girl ?????❤️??
Julie! Thank you so very much for stopping in, my friend! It means so much. Thank YOU for all of your gorgeous inspiration xo
Do some yin yoga holding long poses for a stretch
Hi Jim, That’s a great productive thing to do. Thanks for the input!