The days of arranging our lives around the entertainment we love are long over. Thank goodness! These days piling the family in front of the television or taking time to read is something we’ve been conditioned to see as simple fun or even frivolous and best left until we’ve finished all of the important work of the day.
Now, obviously, taking some “down” time for yourself, in spite of what our work-horse heavy culture tries to tell us, is incredibly important. It helps you re-energize your mind and your spirit so that you can continue to do the heavy and important work of earning a living and tending your family. And now that our entertainment can be consumed on our own terms and in our own time, there’s no reason to forego it.
Here are some of the best ways to unwind when you have the time and to make sure that the entertainment you want is available when you want it.
Keep Your Cable!
So many people turn away from cable and satellite television services in favor of Internet streaming options because they think that doing so will help them save money. Guess what, this isn’t true. If you add up how much you spend on your Internet connection and all of the separate streaming apps you would need to keep up with everything, you could pay more per year than you would with a cable/satellite package. It’s also worth noting that with more and more networks choosing to build their own paid streaming apps those “catch all” apps you rely on now might soon be obsolete and the cost of streaming your favorite shows and movies could skyrocket.
This is why having a good satellite or cable package is the best way to go. Almost all of these packages include top-notch On Demand programming options as well as DVR capability. Why would you spend money on streaming when you can simply record the shows you’re already paying for and watch them at your leisure?
Get an eReader!
Yes, we know, digital books will never take the place of physical books. There is something about the tactile nature of turning pages and the weight of a book in your hands that is as soothing as reading the book itself. Still, not everybody wants to carry large stacks of books around with them (or is able to). This is where having an eReader becomes very useful. eReaders can hold literally hundreds of different books in them all at once, so no matter what your reading mood might be, you should be able to find a book that satiates the craving. And, if you have a Wi-Fi connection, you can easily download more books if none of the ones on your device strike your fancy. You can also check out library books on eReaders now (which is fantastic for those on a tight budget)!
Listening to Music
One of the best things you can do when you want to relax is listen to music. Your brain responds to music in really interesting and unique ways. One of the easiest ways to make sure you always have the music you need on hand is to buy it digitally and store it on a cloud. Then you can stream your cloud library through your phone, laptop, maybe even your television set. It’s also a good idea to download a bit of music from each of your favorite genres for those times when your data is running low or you don’t have a Wi-Fi signal.
Thanks to all of these technologies, you are no longer beholden to the schedule of the suppliers of your favorite form of entertainment to get in some down time (or the physical requirements for keeping lots of physical media on hand). You can have the entertainment you want when you want it!
