Streaming was going to be the age of freedom. No more waiting for shows to come on or missing episodes. But for many, that freedom turned into a kind of pressure. The ever-expanding list of unwatched content on one’s streaming service is no longer just digital clutter. It is perhaps producing a certain level of anxiety.
Via Pexels
The Choice Overload Problem
A well-researched phenomenon in psychology is that, given multiple choices, making a decision causes stress. In the streaming era, the “choice overload” phenomenon creeps up without ceremony. You sit down to relax, and suddenly you find that you have spent 30 minutes scrolling down, unable to select a program to watch. The result? Frustration. Sometimes you don’t end up watching anything, or you select something that is totally harmless but not at all satisfying.
We do not build watchlists with the idea of burdening ourselves with them. They start out as harmless reminders, a digital bookshelf for all the recommendations. But later, they become unwieldy. All of a sudden, we are feeling obligated to finish a series we do not even particularly enjoy.
A Matter of Curating, not Collecting
To change your relationship with the watchlist, you should think of it more as a seasonal menu than a to-do list. Care for it frequently. Ask yourself, would I want to spend part of my evening watching this? If not, why is it on the list? A little pruning can be wonderfully liberating. Essentially, it’s about establishing straightforward limits. Try confining the list you have to a reasonable number, say eight titles, so they are varied enough but not so many you feel paralysed. Have a half dozen or so in regular rotation rather than try to conserve them all. You are not running an archive, just a collection that suits you right now.
Establish a Viewing Schedule
One of the odd contradictions of binge culture is that the very plenitude we are so aware of takes away our structure. Try to get back a little of that. Make a light schedule of viewing. It needn’t be rigid, but a light schedule such as this: Tuesday for documentaries, Saturday for a motion picture and so on.
This kind of plan gives a beat, simulating rhythm to your week. It makes the occasion intentional. You know what is coming and will not waste energy deciding. And when watching sequences become part of a plan, it gets back the executive ability to help you ease, relax and unwind.
The Power of the Unrepeatable
The most effective antidote, perhaps, to all former passing slabs of choice fatigue is not digital at all. Make a room for entertainment of the living present. Quit adding another motion picture to your watch list, and in its place, order tickets for a fun comedy show. There is no menu to look over, no stop button, no halfway diversion and no better options than this.
The obvious plus about a live event is that you are presumably conducive to an unmistakable decision, a precise date, and something to look forward to. To be in a room with other people sharing their mirth at the same moment can be far more restorative than another quiet evening of solo browsing. It breaks the loop.
Pleasure Not Obligation
Your watch list is not a failure because you did not watch all of it. It is just a tool. It is one that works best when it is feeding your joy and not feeding your worries and anxieties. By simplifying your choices and embracing more live experiences, you can turn the act of watching back into what it was always meant to be: a source of joy, not pressure.
