"You need a hobby that isn't Netflix."

Netflix, I think we need to break up. It's not me, it's you. Well, maybe a little of it is me. I mean, you're great and always there when I need you, and we can still hook up on the weekends when I'm bored and it's late, but for right now, I think we need to cool off for a while. Sorry. You're great when we're in bed together, but now my books are feeling a little neglected, a little jealous. And I think spending time with you before bed is making it harder for me to go to sleep, which, is a serious issue. You were great in the beginning, but now you are taking over my life. And I want my freedom back.

This week I tried something new for me. A little scary. A little wild. I watched one episode of Bob's Burgers, and then...I turned the TV off. For real. I needed to concentrate on....you know...any of the 500 things that normal people have to think about during the day, and having the usual background noise was just messing with my brain waves. I'm not going to lie and say that I had a moment of clarity in which I realized how toxic my Netflix addiction has been on my work-life and that I've now vowed to kick my Netflix habit completely, because...well..I mean, come on. Because NETFLIX.  But honestly, it just felt...weird. It was quiet. I'm not quite sure if my discomfort was caused by my tinnitus or because I've become so accustomed to the constant drone of the TV in my head while I try to work. I did realize that I had a better focus, and could work for longer periods of time. I wasn't constantly, annoyingly, boredly, checking my phone, going to Pinterest, clicking back and forth between the 20 tabs open on my browser, spending as much time working as trying to remember what I had been doing or what I had been looking for before something shiny on the TV distracted me. I wrote e-mails, worked a little on my Coursera homework (more about that later), and input some grades. Like an organized, have-my-shit-together human being. It was nice. If I have ever been that person, I haven't seen her for a long, long time.

So now I'm a little inspired. A friend gave me a planner that had the quote "She designed a life she loved" on the front. And now it seems like every time I close my eyes I see those words. Such great, simple, powerful, meaningful words. Finishing grad school, getting new jobs, (hopefully) moving out soon, this period of transition has me thinking about the person I want to be and the person that I am now. Let me tell you, they are NOT the same person. On top of that, I discovered recently that Gretchen Rubin (who wrote The Happiness Project) just released a new book about habits. I haven't read it yet (What's reading a book like, again? I seem to have forgotten...also, can't remember when I last used my library card), but I've reflected a lot about my habits, and which ones I need to change (spoiler: there are A LOT OF THEM). First things first, my focus needs to be more...focused. Working on that has been the first step to getting more done, and designing the life I want. And with all of that extra free time, maybe I will begin my procrastinated search of a new hobby.

So Netflix, I don't think I'll be seeing as much of you for a while. But don't worry, we can still be friends.