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Netflix Binge-Watching: Four Safety Tips to Keep In Mind

By Jonathan Franks
Published on: 15:59 PST, Mar 8, 2015

Netflix binge-watching.

Several years ago, that term was hardly ever used (if at all). If you were to travel back in time to the year 2001, the mere concept of “binge-watching” would have made no sense to the people of that time period whatsoever.

Then again, neither would have such concepts as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and social media.

However, in 2015, binge-watching has become one of the most popular ways to catch up and stay current with your favorite television shows and series.

Perhaps there was a series that you never heard of or simply refused to watch during its original, televised run. Thanks to Netflix binge-watching, you can catch up with the vast majority of the aired episodes from those unfamiliar series within just a few days (or weeks) — depending on the episode count.

There have been so many different series released in recent years on Netflix that have almost immediately been added to the binge-watching streaming schedules of millions of people around the world — including long-running series such as Cheers and Friends.

However, if you want to successfully start Netflix binge-watching, there are several “safety” tips that you need to keep in mind.

Make sure that you take frequent breaks — including avoiding the tendency to skip those precious hours of sleep.

Keep in mind that these shows are not going anywhere anytime soon. Many people might think that Netflix series are only available for streaming for one day or one week. That is not the case at all. Most series and movies are available for several months at least. Therefore, you will have plenty of time to enjoy each episode without feeling the need to cram it all in within a one-day (or even one-week period).

Don’t forget to actually enjoy the shows that are being watched.

This particular rule applies mostly to the high-quality programming that Netflix has taken the time to develop for your viewing pleasure. A lot of work goes into such series as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, as well as the recently released Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Cramming everything in at once is just like inhaling a delicious plate of home-cooked food — you won’t be able to savor the flavor and truly enjoy the experience if you blow through it too quickly.

Try not to fill up your queue too quickly.

Yes, there are so many different options to choose from — especially if you are looking for nostalgic television shows that originally aired decades ago. With that being said, it can become very easy to spend too much time growing your list of queued series and not enough time actually watching the programs listed. Take your time. As mentioned earlier, the series you desire are likely not going anywhere anytime soon.

Remember, there is a world outside of Netflix.

With the beauty of continuous auto-play, you might end up watching season after season of your favorite show sooner than you think. Before you know it, you’re already watching the series finale. Think about how much time has passed since you first started watching the show. Think about the moment when you first saw it pop up as an option on your screen and said to yourself, “I want to watch that.”

If you cannot remember doing very much from that first moment until now, perhaps it is time for you to step away from Netflix for a while.

Sticking to these helpful Netflix binge-watching tips will make it much easier for you to enjoy your favorite series safely and responsibly.

There is nothing wrong with Netflix binge-watching — as long as you binge responsibly.

[Image Credit: Student Beans]

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