It’s that time of year folks. As fate would have it, not only is it the premiere of our favorite fall shows (the 500th season of Grey’s Anatomy, New Girl, Empire, and the Voice, to name a few) but, alas, it’s #prelimszn. Don’t you worry, here are eight new ways that you can binge watch your shows and hit the books without feeling guilty the next morning:
1Split your screens
There’s this cool feature on most laptops where you can literally split your screen between two programs. So next time you’re trying to catch up on both the English reading you didn’t know existed until five minutes ago and the fifth season of Scandal because you low-key love Papa Pope, split your space equally and let Kerry do the fast talking in the background while you read your Salinger.
2Play it in the background
If splitting screens isn’t your style, try playing the show in the background while doing your homework. It may be the ultimate example of multi-tasking, but as long as you can somewhat keep up with the storyline and your homework at the same time, you’ll be totally fine.
3Set up a reward system
For every chapter you read, every three math problems you finish, or every paragraph you write: treat yo’ self! You earned that 30 minutes of Netflix, you deserve that episode of Game of Thrones! You keep up your motivation for the week and with your shows– it’s a win-win.
4Plan out “Netflix and Chill” Time
Pretend your shows are just another class! All you have to do is schedule special TV time for yourself and then get back to working. Organization is key and it’s what your advisor would want you to do.
5Time out your day to finish your work before the episode premieres
We all know you want to watch Shonda Thursday when it premieres, because no one likes when that one friend in the group chat spoils it all. The solution: get your homework and studying done all by the time your episode premieres. You’ll be more efficient and ready to be perplexed by the twits and turns of Criminal Minds by 9 pm.
6Set up a binge watching day on the weekends (with a time limit)
Four hours out of your weekend dedicated to your shows ain’t nothing. Gear up that HBO Go and settle in, but remember to set an alarm or timer to stop at the designated time so you can hit the books. It’s all about that ultimate strength to pull away when you need to.
7Turn your workout time into TV time
You know how you always say you’re going to go to the gym today because you feel so stressed and you just want to sweat and relieve those tensions, but then you make excuses? Next time you tell yourself that, use your favorite show as motivation. Easy math: 1 hour on the elliptical + headphones + Hulu mobile app =1 episode= about 500 calories burned= healthy and happy you! This is what technology was made for.
8And as always, prioritize
I don’t mean prioritize your prelims over your shows (because we all know which comes first), but prioritize which shows you’ll watch now and which ones you’ll catch up on over winter break. You’ll hit them all eventually, but for now, pick your three faves. Don’t stress, God created DVR for a reason.
