Nothing like some catchy alliteration to get you motivated, right? Or does that just work for me? Anyway, ‘No Tech Tuesday’ is something David and I came up with over our Scrabble session this past weekend. It’s a deep and complicated concept.
No, it really is pretty self-explanatory.
Here’s how we decided on it. We don’t consider ourselves to be big TV watchers, though we also stand strong that we are minimalists… who take full advantage of Amazon Prime, so yes, we may not know ourselves as well as we claim. Still, we are constantly trying to challenge and improve ourselves which is really all anyone can strive for right?
Moving on…
We are not-big-TV watchers (I guess to us that translates to about 1-1.5 hours of TV time each night from about 8:30-9:30/10). It’s not an insane amount (1-2 shows), but we recognized that once we made it through a few of our favorite shows, we’d end up watching stupid stuff that didn’t do anything for us. WHY? Because it’s a habit.
We both say we would like to read more or learn a new hobby, but just can’t find the time. Yet somehow we ended up watching 30 minutes of a truly dull episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations last week.
So, we decided we needed to shake things up a bit. This is not to say that all TV is terrible and we are against it, it’s just challenging ourselves to switch things up.
So there, after an entirely too long definition of a very basic concept, I present you with No Tech Tuesday!
Things not allowed on no tech Tuesdays: TV, computers, iPhones, Droids (we are a house divided), email, social media… you get it.
Exceptions: reading a book on an e-reader or following along a youtube yoga video.
Last night was the first No Tech Tuesday. How’d we do?
Well, we had an impromptu date night out to Ultimate Ale’s to grab a beer and play live trivia.
So is that considered cheating? Possibly. It was technology-free though (minus checking in on the girls) and expanded our horizons (FYI, there are 82 regular seasons games played in the NHL), but I do look forward to future No Tech Tuesdays that are a bit more authentic.
On my No Tech Tuesdays, I hope to find a good book to read and do a little more Yoga by Candace which I’ve really been enjoying lately. Maybe a few Scrabble games or just some back porch hot-tea sipping and cookbook perusing (if our deck project ever actually is complete). Maybe I’ll even try to learn to knit (a skill I’ve always wanted to acquire). Heck, maybe we will just sip a glass of wine and ponder life together.
And maybe, just maybe, we’ll learn to love it so much that we will create No Tech Wednesdays, though the name will need some work.
Feel free to join me in this venture by using the hashtag #notechtuesday.
I’m kidding. A hashtag kind of defeats the purpose, no?
But do share with me…
How do you wind down in the evenings?
Do you ever feel the need to shake up your routine?
What’s the best book you’ve read lately? (Bonus points if it’s historical fiction)
Liv @ Healthy Liv says
I need to get better about winding down in the evenings- I usually just crash into bed after I finish studying for the night (but I fall asleep immediately because I’m usually pretty tired!)
I definitely feel the need to shake up my routine sometimes 🙂
alex says
Love this!! I am currently reading “SERENA” – I LOVE IT!! It is a movie coming out in December with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper You should read it!
Love no Tech Tuesday!!
I wind down by reading with my kid and a bath 😀
Brittany Dixon says
Ah, I love reading books before seeing the movies (though the books are always better!) Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
alex says
I totally lied, It is coming out February 2015…longer time to read it!
alex says
I lied. It come out in February 2015, you have some time!
JB says
No Tech Tuesday sounds great. My husband and I are similar to what you do in terms of watching 1-2 hours of t.v. every night after our 2 year old is in bed. We are both pretty spent at the end of the day, so that probably accounts for our zoning out. I do manage to read 1-2 books a month as I belong to a few book clubs, so that’s positive I suppose. The best book that I have recently read (which markets itself as historical fiction) is The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.
naturalred says
Awesome, I am impressed, not many people can go without technology for long now a days. I will be interested to see how long you hold out.
Andrea says
#WirelessWednesdays?
We usually eat pretty late so there isn’t much time after dinner to do anything but wind down in front of the TV. If my husband puts on one of HIS shows, then I’ll pick up my crochet or read a book. I would like to shake up our evenings in general with more time working on something together. We have our individual projects but there are definitely things (like building a new chicken coop) we need to tackle together.
I just finished reading Gone Girl (I might be the last person who hadn’t read it yet) and loved it. I finally have Amazon Prime in my name now so I can take advantage of their free book lending program. I can’t wait to read more. If only I could get someone to read to me while I crochet (and l think crocheting is easier than knitting and you can make a REALLY cute scarf with only two stitches).
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
Just wanted to jump in here and say — I love having someone read to me — while I’m running, or cooking, or knitting. You could get some audiobooks and listen those while you crochet! I used to be a big crochet “er”(?) until I took up knitting.
Andrea says
There is a SLIM chance I might attempt a full marathon next year. If I do…I will be investing in audio books for sure!!
Brittany Dixon says
I loved audio books for road trips or even just driving around town when H was a baby, but now she is three and has “opinions” (haha) so we listen to wheels on the bus instead!
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
If you do do that marathon – good luck! Audio books are great for long runs… I also recommend joining a running group. 4-6 months of training for a marathon is a long time to run by yourself!
Monica says
I just read the three travel books by Tony James Slater – That Bear Ate My Pants!, Kamikaze Kangaroos!, & Don’t Need the Whole Dog! (yes, they all end in exclamation points!). I really enjoyed reading about his crazy travel adventures & can’t wait until his next book! <— exclamation point habit… it become an addiction…
Joanna @Makingmine says
Great idea! We don’t have cable, so we don’t have a ton of temptation when it comes to TV, but Netflix can be dangerous. I’m currently watching Gilmore Girls and end up going through WAY too many episodes at a time
I need to make a stop at the library for some good book options!
Lindsey @ Simply Lindsey says
I love this idea! My husband and I do this on Wednesdays, or at least try to! We always say we want to read more or do other things but find ourselves glued to the TV at night! This wasn’t a problem for us in DC, but when we moved to Charlotte a month ago, all apartments have FREE CABLE! So we’ve been a little indulgent haha.
Brittany Dixon says
Free cable?! Man I would have loved that for my apartment when I first moved here!
Hilary says
I love this! We got rid of cable 1.5 years ago when I was pregnant and we have been doing “Win(e)d down Wednesdays” for a while. We sit on the screened porch, drink wine and eat meat/cheese/crackers. As cheesy as it is, we have fantastic conversations that actually get deeper than most conversations we have on a regular basis. Also, now that the weather is getting a little cooler in North Carolina, we are starting Fire Fridays where we make a fire outside and hang out and invite people over. It eliminates the need for a babysitter but you still get to have fun at home!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my goodness, these are the best ideas ever! And not just because they use alliteration 😉
I love having deeper conversations than ‘how was your day’ and need to have more nights like your Wine Down Wednesdays. So sweet!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Love that! Such a good idea! I totally need to do this someday of the week!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Girl, we are SO on the same page…alliteration and all. Want to hear mine? Screen free Saturday…which basically means no iPad, iPhones or computer screens. If I do blog work on Saturday, I try to let it be recipe testing or shooting photos – just to give me a break from screen time. We do watch college football on Saturdays, though…duh! 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Oh yes, and this Saturday is going to be a BIG one! Georgia vs Auburn! A bunch of my friends are going and I’m bummed I can’t be there but hoping for a great game (and a Georgia win ;))
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am nervous about that game! Eeek! It is a fun one to attend though. We were there last year for “The Catch.” Our seats were right on the goal line where Ricardo Lewis made the winning catch. It’s a great rivalry! Two of my cousins are huge UGA fans, and one went to school there…so it is always fun for our family.
Parita @ myinnershakti says
I love this idea. When it comes to TV watching, Vishnu and I are the same. We intend to watch a show or two but that turns into random episodes of who knows what. It’s kind of ridiculous, especially because, as you said, I have these reading goals that I never seem to find time for!
The best book I read lately was Daring Greatly by Brenee Brown. I also just downloaded Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl – so excited to read this one!
Brittany Dixon says
I read Man’s Search for Meaning in college! It’s a good one.
Marnie @ SuperSmartMama says
I love the idea of No Tech Tuesday!
My husband and I go through phases where we say, “let’s not watch TV tonight.” It’s only an hour or so of tv every night, but it does get boring. Some nights, the TV is on but we aren’t really watching (and we’ll have HGTV on or something) and we’re really doing other things: email, online shopping, or playing a game, like Scrabble.
We love a good Scrabble game now and again!
Christy says
This is brilliant. I’m going to try this. It will be harder for my husband than for me, but we’ll see how it goes. Maybe we’ll even try it on a weekend. Gasp!
christina says
i love this! i wish i could participate, but…i’m always working. boo! i do want to be better about putting work away though. good luck!!
char eats greens says
We are so speaking the same language! After watching a TV show last night, I told Tyler how I wanted to read more and he suggested limiting TV nights to 2-3x a week. I love the idea of one full tech-free day though too! It would even just be good for me to practice during the day while Tyler’s at work!
And I guess ‘Wireless Wednesday’ wouldn’t work just on the grounds that everything IS wireless now! haha
char eats greens says
OH!- and I also wanted to add that my iPhone actually stopped working (my fault! haha), so the combo of that and moving to a new country, I haven’t been on the internet/apps quite as much as I usually am, which is amazing! It’s been a nice break from being consumed in instagram and twitter that I needed. I think it definitely put into perspective how much more I use them than I thought I did. Hopefully once I have a phone back, I’ll cutback!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
I think this is an excellent idea! We aren’t big TV watchers either. We’re talking MAYBE 30-60 minutes each night with some nights of no TV at all (Thursday evening is our exception…we watch two hour long shows we love). However, Cody and I both sit in our laptops and/or phones a lot more than we should. I would love to implement something like this. I’d like to hear how it goes for you guys after several weeks!
Laura @FitMamaLove says
Seems like a good idea for you guys. We only watch TV at the same time as you and it’s usually only enough time for one show before we get ready for bed. I more often notice myself wasting time on the computer when I’m not really working on blogging, but just browsing who knows what. That time could definitely be used more productively. The hardest part would be not using my phone!
Heather says
We often find ourselves winding down with an episode or two of something on Amazon Prime/Hulu/Netflix, but also decided that we wanted to make more time for other things both separately and together. So, we started making partial schedules for the week to keep ourselves from only watching TV every night. One night a week I study aromatherapy (I’m becoming certified) and I try to make time for working out a few nights a week. While we do often read right before bed, I think instituting a No-Tech night is a GREAT idea. I’d love to see if I can get my husband on board with that.
Maria says
I’m all about this! In fact, I’m doing a self experiment to see how long I can stay off Facebook (started on Sunday). I actually don’t miss it and to be honest, feel a lot less judgmental. When I visit family this holiday season, I’ll be able to ask “So what have you been up to?” and genuinely look forward to their answer because I actually won’t know.
We actually choose our vacations in places that are less likely to have Internet or cell service (but stupid AT&T seems to work everywhere these days!). It’s just nice to turn it off and enjoy the moment.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh I’d love a disconnected vacation. Almost more so for David than me. It drives me nuts when we are away and he has to take calls or drive back for certain situations. I know it comes with the territory of his job, but it would be awesome to just be completely unreachable!
Alex @ get big, go to work says
I love the idea of no tech Tuesday’s! We purposefully didn’t subscribe to cable when we moved because of the added expense coupled with the terrible shows that tend to make up the majority of the lineup these days! It’s been great! We watch much less tv-probably under 3 hours every week. We will either wind down with a Netflix movie we have been wanting to see or just relax and catch up on each other’s lives. It’s crazy but it takes us about 3-4 days to get through a movie because we go to bed so early. #oldpeopleproblems
Alyssa McQ says
Love to end the evening by reading a bit before I go to bed. I’m pretty big on nonfiction books, especially if they read like a novel. I just finished the book “Tom’s River” by Dan Fagin about industrial production, pollution and public health. It’s really great scientific reporting. I’m currently in the middle of “The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot– which is essentially a biography and deals with questions of gender, race, equality and bioethics.
Brittany Dixon says
I always end up grabbing nonfiction too, but I feel like I overdid it and need a good, enjoyable read to get me back in the habit. Of course, your selections sound so interesting and educational and now I want another nonfiction! Haha. Maybe I’ll check those out after I get back on the reading bandwagon.
Megan says
I really like this idea. I may have to institute my own version of no tech Tuesday.
I have to echo the suggestion of Daring Greatly. I also just read Mindy Kaling’s autobiography and enjoyed it. I am currently reading Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It is a semi oldie but is amazing so far.
Ashley D says
I love this idea! My husband and I used to play games almost every night, but this has gone by the way side since having our baby (who is now 2!). I loved the Stephen King book about JFK. I think it was called November 22, 1963. Long book, but very good.
Julie says
I read that book, too, & loved it.
Brittany Dixon says
Forgive my ignorance, but is it a scary book? Would it be ok to read before bed?
Julie says
Not scary at all. This was a dif book for him. Even has a love story intertwined in it. I really enjoyed it. It’s about time travel & how the character goes back in time to try to stop JFK’s assassination & how his going back & forth impacts his past & future. Very clever & thought-provoking book.
Sabrina says
It’s interesting that you consider yourselves not to really be TV people but you watch 1.5 hours a night. To me that is a lot!
We canceled our cable in part to save money and in part to improve our lives. It has improved them a lot. We now watch Shark Tank, Modern Family, and Scandal and that’s basically it. HOWEVER, I find that some nights in bed my husband and I will just be playing on our phones for like an hour. It’s stupid. I’m working to shut my phone off at night because it’s ridiculous to cancel our cable and then spend 30 minutes scrolling through IG.
Oh, and R is watching too much tv these days, but the kid just needs such little sleep! I can’t take it because I want to rest! If he wakes up before 7 he can watch tv until then (in our bed). if he takes an extra long nap (ensuring he won’t fall asleep before like 10) I let him watch something in the evening too. it’s pretty bad and a habit I need to stop. Any ideas on how to get him to sleep just a LITTLE BIT MORE? I’ve been trying since the dya he was born lol
Brittany Dixon says
I hope you caught my tongue and cheek-ness about ‘not being tv people.’ I’m kind of picking on us because we say we aren’t, then somehow end up sitting in front of it for an hour each night! Working on it 😉
As for R, sounds like just one active boy- haha! K is way more busy than H ever was and I fear for my future sleep. You will have to give me tips! 🙂
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
What a great idea! I have so many books on my to-read list! It’s time to start tackling them!
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
I’m getting the shakes just thinking about this. 😉 It’s a great idea, and I should definitely do something more productive with my time some times. I am in a bad habit of playing candy crush again when I could be doing something like reading a book or learning how to knit… if I wanted to do that of course!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I think this is a great concept! I recently turned off all notifications (Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, etc.) on my phone, and it has been SO freeing! I definitely need to start stepping away from the TV and computer more often. It can be SO challenging when you are a blogger, though! :/
Danica @ It's Progression says
I really like this idea! And I’m sure you’ll love it.
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
love this idea!! We aren’t huge TV watchers either. I need to check out that yoga. I need more yoga in my life!
Shari says
Such an awesome idea!
Some of my favorite recent reads:
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend – Matthew Dicks
The Baker’s Daughter – Sarah McCoy (historical fiction!)
Catching Air – Sarah Pekkanen
Porcelain Keys – Sarah Beard
Grand Central – an anthology (also hisrroical fiction!)
Brittany Dixon says
I think you have shared these with me before- thank you! I will write them down this time for sure!
Matt says
I watch way too much TV!
Erin @ The Grass Skirt says
I love that you do this. My husband and I ban using our phones when we have dates, and we also have a no technology rule on Fridays and Saturdays. I find that I really look forward to it!
Stefanie says
I just got into a trilogy by Paulina Simons. I’ve read the first two – “The Bronze Horseman” and “Tatiana and Alexander: A Novel” and I can’t wait to get my hands on the third. It’s based in Russia during WWII and is incredible in its detail of life during the war. It’s an epic story that includes a love story. They are great books!