How do I stop binging Netflix all the time? What are some productive hobbies I can do instead of binge-watching? How to unwind without Netflixing? —- Reddit, Quora, and all other imaginable forums are full of questions like this. Productivity gurus and wellness blogs are pumping out tips on how to cure your Netflix addiction or how reading and mediation are far better hobbies than binge-watching web series.

And they are not wrong. If all you are doing in your free time is binge-watching, you definitely need to make some life changes. Seek out other fulfilling hobbies, interact with friends more or just get out of the house and take a nice walk.

But binge-watching does not have to be all bad. Here are six ways to level up in life while binging your latest obsession….

Get Fit With Netflix

Have you seen those movie scenes where these hotshot businesspeople run on treadmills while reviewing documents on an iPad? It’s basically like that, except you are watching Netflix while running. Whether you work out twenty minutes a day or two whole hours, having a Netflix series accompany your session will motivate you even on the days you don’t feel like sweating it out.

But if you want to make your exercise sessions more fun, then go for quirky Netflix workout guides like this FRIENDS workout, this Stranger Things workout, or this Haikyuu-inspired workout. With just a few clicks, you can find workouts inspired by everything from your latest binge-watch to your long-time favourite character. However, be cautious while doing them as most of these workouts are made by fans of the shows, not trained professionals.

Thank me later when you learn to do 50 push-ups while binging The Vampire Diaries.

Feed Your Mind With Netflix

Netflix is like the sneaky peddler from a fantasy game who has a horde of items meant to distract you from your quest. This is why you need to be mindful of what you choose to consume. Instead of blindly binging every new series, seek out good recommendations. Follow Instagram accounts like Cinema Mon Amour and Humans of Cinema, regularly check the Film & TV sections of blogs like Literary Hub and The New Yorker, or follow dedicated movie blogs like High on Films and Senses of Cinema. Graduate from being yet another binge-watcher to a film connoisseur.

Netflix is also a treasure trove of documentaries. Replacing your eighth FRIENDS binge with a documentary about street food or mythical monsters is a sure-fire way to wow your friends with cool factoids at your next gathering. Here is a great list of informative series on Netflix.

Learn Languages With Netflix

Learning to speak a second or third or fourth (or seventeenth) language is one of the best ways to spend your free time, and Netflix can be your buddy in doing that. Want to brush up on the Spanish you learned in high school? Netflix has got you covered. Feeling like picking up a new language? Start exploring Netflix’s amazing catalogue of Korean dramas.

You will need to use other language learning resources like books, courses, Duolingo, etc., but as you keep watching, you can pick up many of the common words and get a good hold on the pronunciation. 

And if you want to really maximise your Netflix time, install Language Reactor (formerly, Language Learning with Netflix). This free Chrome plugin lets you watch any content from Netflix (and Youtube) with dual subtitles – one in your target language and one in English. You can also make and save vocabulary flashcards right from your Netflix window.

Pick Up A New Hobby With Netflix

Okay…YouTube might be more useful in terms of finding new hobbies to pick up (unless you get hobby inspirations from your favourite characters), but Netflix can help you practice said hobbies. Colouring mandalas, crocheting a bucket hat, folding origami, or bullet journaling – the options are endless for the kind of hobbies you can spend time on while watching Netflix.

You can also check whether Netflix has any documentaries or anime related to your hobby and have fun with those.

Get Your Life Together With Netflix

That laundry you haven’t folded yet? The snack jars you need to restock? The pillow cover you have to mend? The bookshelf you’ve been meaning to organise? – You can make these boring chores feel less like ordeals if you’re watching Netflix while doing them.

Alternatively, you can delve into content like Tidying Up with Marie Kondo or The Minimalists: Less Is Now and get ideas to live more intentionally.

Practice Self Care With Netflix

This is mostly like the last tip, except you do little things to make yourself feel special instead of boring chores.

Paint your nails. Put on a sheet mask. Give yourself a head massage. Or….

Or find something you want to watch with your friends. Install the Teleparty plugin. Pour yourself a yummy drink and have a blast hosting this virtual movie party.

BONUS: Use the Netflix Model To Achieve Your Goals

When I was researching for this post, I came across a great article by Michelle Loucadoux on Medium that broke down how you can use the same model that Netflix uses to keep you hooked to get productive.

The idea is simple. At the end of every episode, Netflix gives the user barely ten seconds before the next episode automatically starts. You’re hooked on what’s coming next before you can even react properly to the end of one episode. And us humans, lazy creatures that we are, go with the flow until we absolutely cannot.

Now, let’s apply this model to our day-to-day work. Once you finish one task, the urge to take a break is always overwhelming. We tell ourselves we will only take a well-deserved ten-minute break until we look up and realise that it’s already been over forty minutes.

If you want to Netflix your work life, what you need to do is simply start working on the next task after you finish one before giving yourself a break. Tell yourself that you will write just five lines of the next article or review only the first page of the document or fold at least one tshirt from the laundry before you take the break. Once you dip your toe into the next task, chances are, you’ll be fully immersed before long and end up finishing the task.

When you finally take a truly well-deserved forty-minute break without feeling guilty, remember to thank the geniuses at Netflix.

Do you know any other ways to get more productive with Netflix? Let me know in the comments (or hit me up on Instagram).

Bye for today 👋🏼👋🏼