Netflix: When Procrastinating Becomes Useful
Let's be honest: when it comes to doing work, we all procrastinate. I do it all the time - I did it for writing this, even, and I am guessing that you are no different. And when procrastinating, more often than not, we go to our favorite streaming platform - Netflix. So, for this article, I am going to teach how to be useful when we are being useless.
I know guilty pleasure shows are the best, and it is true that when stressed they help, but instead of binge-watching How I Met Your Mother, Friends or any other show that we watched a million times over, why not using our free time to learn something new? I am not suggesting to give up Netflix - quite the opposite actually - but to make smarter choices in it.
Further our language skills. Yes, you heard that right. It is not the same as attending classes, but it could help. If you are trying to learn or improve your Spanish for example, watch shows in their original languages with Spanish subtitles. This way, you will unconsciously learn a few words and how to write them. And, once you start grasping it better, watch Spanish shows or movies, for example The Elite, Las Chicas del Cable, or La Casa de Papel. It might be hard to understand them at first, but maintaining focus helps, and subtitles can make it easier in the beginning.
Find a new perspective. Whether it is an issue you have strong opinions about, or something you know nothing about, it is always good to expand your horizons. Maybe you will find out you agree to the other side more than you thought, or realize you were right all along and just stick to your old opinions. Either way, the next time it comes up on the dinner table, you will know what you are talking about. A couple examples of controversial issues is 3%, which criticizes capitalism, and Bojack Horseman, or if you want to explore something new, such as the historical relationship with mental health, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest might be a good bet.
Improve your repertoire. There are some classics that everyone has seen and constant references to them as well, yet you might have no idea of what are people talking about when they come up. Watching classics does not hurt - plus, who knows, you might find your new favorite movie or your next Halloween costume. Some examples might be Casablanca, Pulp Fiction, The Godfather, Forrest Gump, The Shining or Pride and Prejudice
Learn some history. It may sound silly, and of course a lot of adaptations do not portray it the same way it actually happened, but it is still nice to see how, back in time, people acted, dressed up and made decisions that changed the course of history. Some examples could be Outlander (Georgian Era in the UK), Reign (16th Century in France) orThe Crown. Another nice example, although on Prime TV rather than Netflix, is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, portraying New York in the 1950’s and the sexist world women had to live in.
Dive deeper into one of your passions. It may sound obvious, but it is still worth the mention. This could be something related to your degree, a hobby, or just something you find interesting yet don't know much about. If you are fascinated by law, Suits, The Good Wife or How to Get Away with Murder could be great options, Grey’s Anatomy if you enjoy medicine, Lie To Me if you want to learn how to "read" people, or Quantico if you want to learn about the inner workings of the FBI.
Discover some food for thought. Giving something for your mind to duel over for a couple of days could be interesting, and what better way of doing that than with documentaries? Some examples might be Blackfish, Planet Earth, and Food Inc. In case documentaries are not your thing, Westworld or Black Mirror could be amazing substitutes.
It is true that this won't give you real work experience or a wide knowledge, but you might know what to do or how to react when a person has a heart attack (thank you, Meredith Grey), how the world turned into what it is today, how to catch your brother lying, and have enough references to back up your arguments, whether it is in a courtroom or a restaurant with your relatives. So, what are you waiting for? Go back to procrastinating, and get to it!
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