I think I found the secret of non-addictive binge watching.

[DesiPower]

I have binge watched many TV shows before, Star Trek, Shield, Lost, Walking dead, House of cards and so on, recently started Sons of Anarchy. One thing I have been doing lately is to stop in the middle of the episode and not at the end. You see, at the end of most episodes and specially at the end of a season, they will put something very interesting that leaves you guessing what will happen next and forces you to watch the next one and the next one and so on. However every episode, towards the middle will have some not so interesting portions where they will be talking about some mushy mushy personal relationship stuff, which will distract you a little bit, you feel like getting a bite, picking up the phone or tablet or opening another browser if you are on your computer, that's the point, that's where you need to stop.
If you reach the end of the episode, it will be "climaxically" incomplete, forcing you to open the next one, after all it was designed to keep bringing back people after a week or sometimes months. So stop in the middle, when it gets slow, don't try to finish the episode.


My contribution to holiday threads, thanks for reading. Your humble co-ATOTer

 

[inachu]

My enjoyment on binge watching is like my mouth.

After a while my mind get dried up like a parched tongue. I just turn it off.

 

[Printer Bandit]

i always watch the last 5 minutes of an episode first, then go back to the beginning.

 

[Arcadio]

I feel like I don't enjoy TV shows as much if I binge watch them. I like thinking about every episode before watching the next one.

 

[vi edit]

My secret to not binge watching is having kids and a job.

Seriously...Have to get up at 5:25AM for work, and kids are up until 7:30-8:00PM. Not much room for TV binges if I want to get more than 6 hours of sleep.

 

[ImpulsE69]

My secret to not binge watching is having kids and a job.

Seriously...Have to get up at 5:25AM for work, and kids are up until 7:30-8:00PM. Not much room for TV binges if I want to get more than 6 hours of sleep.

Everyone knows you aren't doing it right unless the kids are binge watching too.

 

[Kaido]

I have binge watched many TV shows before, Star Trek, Shield, Lost, Walking dead, House of cards and so on, recently started Sons of Anarchy. One thing I have been doing lately is to stop in the middle of the episode and not at the end. You see, at the end of most episodes and specially at the end of a season, they will put something very interesting that leaves you guessing what will happen next and forces you to watch the next one and the next one and so on. However every episode, towards the middle will have some not so interesting portions where they will be talking about some mushy mushy personal relationship stuff, which will distract you a little bit, you feel like getting a bite, picking up the phone or tablet or opening another browser if you are on your computer, that's the point, that's where you need to stop.
If you reach the end of the episode, it will be "climaxically" incomplete, forcing you to open the next one, after all it was designed to keep bringing back people after a week or sometimes months. So stop in the middle, when it gets slow, don't try to finish the episode.


My contribution to holiday threads, thanks for reading. Your humble co-ATOTer

That's actually a pretty good idea, we've been binge-watching the Black List lately and were so tired a couple episodes in we had to turn it off mid-episode, which worked out really well because then we weren't "hooked".

I don't know why stupid stuff seems so much more important late at night, but it does, cursed human nature haha! BUT I NEEEEEEED TO FINISH THIS EPISODE!

 

[vi edit]

Everyone knows you aren't doing it right unless the kids are binge watching too.

I got up at 2:00AM this weekend to do server maintenance and my 6 year old was downstairs curled up in a blanket watching DC comics cartoons on Netflix at that time. We've caught her doing it in the past and normally have to take the TV remote to our bedroom. It was a weekend night and I went to bed early and my wife forgot to bring it upstairs when she came to bed.

I have no idea how long she had been watching or would have watched had I not got up.

 

[manimal]

My secret to not binge watching is having kids and a job.

Seriously...Have to get up at 5:25AM for work, and kids are up until 7:30-8:00PM. Not much room for TV binges if I want to get more than 6 hours of sleep.

this

kinda ruins binge sex too.

 

[DigDog]

i used the OP's trick a few times, its true, it does work.

the show i most binged on ever was three years ago, i got a boxed set of Space 1999. nearly watched it all in 1 go, with some sparse sleep in between, but no other activity.

 

[slayer202]

i always watch the last 5 minutes of an episode first, then go back to the beginning.

I just skip the last 5 minutes, and then catch up during the "previously on x" portion if something important happened.




I'm still only on episode 4 of LOST

 

[DesiPower]

My secret to not binge watching is having kids and a job.

Seriously...Have to get up at 5:25AM for work, and kids are up until 7:30-8:00PM. Not much room for TV binges if I want to get more than 6 hours of sleep.

Well, if you don't have a kid and job then binge watching is not a problem to begin with. The occurs when you do have Kids and job and to have wake up early in the morning and yet you get hooked and cant let it go, ending up getting just a few hours of sleep... or staying up till 3 or 4 AM on Friday or Saturday morning...

 

[BoberFett]

My secret to not binge watching is having kids and a job.

Seriously...Have to get up at 5:25AM for work, and kids are up until 7:30-8:00PM. Not much room for TV binges if I want to get more than 6 hours of sleep.

Everyone knows you aren't doing it right unless the kids are binge watching too.

And since when is sleep a part of binge watching? Or work?

*cough*Sorry boss, I'm sick today.*cough*

Getting up for work problem eliminated.

 

[CoPhotoGuy]

Here's what you do:

Just stop watching after the episode is done. It's not that hard.

 

[Eug]

Just stop watching after the episode is done. It's not that hard.

Yep. Or you can even stop at any scene break if you're tired and pick it up again the next day.