1. There's no point in recording movies playing on television. Sure, watching the occasional movie on TV is fun, but with Netflix, you can rent most of them whenever you want. There’s no need to waste valuable real estate on your DVR.2. Certain things should never be recorded. News is one of those things. There's no point in recording news on television, unless there it is a special event. However, if it’s that special you’re probably watching it live anyways. News repeats itself on over 5 different networks and by the time you get around to it, the story has probably already developed. This does not apply to satirical news shows (ie. The Daily Show, Colbert Report - those are always funny).
3. Shows that are on daily (talk shows, for example) should be capped at a maximum number. If you really love late night television, for example, and don't have the energy to stay up to watch it, odds are you won't be able to watch every episode (unless you're obsessed) anyways. I like to keep my episodes capped at 3-4 episodes at a time. I'm never going to watch more than 3 episodes in one sitting, and if I do, there will be another one recorded later that day anyways. I'm not going to die if I miss one episode.
4. When prioritizing TV shows you love, stick to the ones that will contain spoilers. Those will probably the shows you decided to watch first anyways. There are always a few favorite shows that will dominate your viewing schedule, but you’ll probably always make room for shows whose plots spill over into the entertainment news cycle. This includes most serial dramas (Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, etc…) and reality competition shows (Survivor, Dancing With the Stars, Project Runway, etc…).
5. Be wary of those cutoff times, especially with live shows. You’ll probably realize this through experience, but some shows don’t end exactly at the hour mark. Locally here in Boston, I find that my ABC feed is always one-two minutes off. This has led to some very frustrating situations where major plot twists or announcements occur at the end of an episode. Luckily, most of the shows I watch on ABC start one after the other (last year it was Dancing With the Stars, followed by Samantha Who?, followed by Boston Legal). However, sometimes they don’t and I have to make sure the DVR records an extra few minutes (I usually cap this at 5 minutes). I have also found that on certain international networks, time slots are mere suggestions. Make sure that you give yourself at least 30 minutes on either end of the listed hours for episodes on those channels.
6. Keep an eye out for repeated viewings of the same show. I love cable, and one of the main reasons for this is that while their shows premiere on prime time, they usually repeat throughout the week. When prioritizing your DVR recording list, make sure to put cable shows below network shows in the same time slot. Odds are that episode of Dexter that is conflicting with your viewing of Desperate Housewives and Family Guy will be repeated that night or later in the week.
7. There’s no reason for recording sports unless you’re completely obsessed. This is especially true with baseball. If you miss a game, calm down, there’ll be another one tomorrow. Plus, you’ll probably already know the score before you finish watching the game anyways. I realized that I live in a Red Sox town, but honestly, if you’re really serious about your DVR, you’re probably not using it to watch sports. The only justification for recording sports, in my mind, is during football season, and that’s only because you never know when it’s going to end up pushing your favorite show into overtime (CBS on Sundays is notorious for this).
8. Stick to recording shows you are most likely to watch in the near future. When a show sits on your DVR for weeks, ever-expanding with new recorded episodes, you will experience anxiety. Reduce your anxiety by cutting the chord early on. The longer they sit there…waiting…the greater the odds they will be deleted anyways. Trust me, there’s no room for “maybe I’ll watch it later.”
9. If you don’t record a show during the regular season, which can get tricky with conflicting time slots and lack of room on your DVR, don’t panic. Odds are that same show will be on DVD by the next season. Reduce your anxiety and just plan to watch it on DVD, whenever you get to it. Odds are you won’t watch it as soon as it comes out, but I’ve found the summer glut to be a great time to rent DVDs of the shows you had to pass on during the regular season.
10. Unless you live alone, repeat after me: I DO NOT OWN THE DVR. Sure, usually one person in the household controls the DVR and probably hogs the remote as well. Be kind to your loved ones. They want to watch TV too. Ask them about the shows they want recorded. If they don’t watch it within 6 months, you can probably delete it since they probably forgot about it, but you should asks first…especially if that person is your significant other. If you’re the one that hogs the TV most of the time, you should try and work around the other person’s TV schedule. Hopefully you enjoy the same programs. If you don’t, try and learn. TV can be an isolating experience, so it’s always more enriching to experience it with others.
I’m sure there are other rules out there. If you know of any, let me know in the comments.
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