# How to Stop Wasting Time Watching Shows You Forgot You Started
The streaming age has given us an unprecedented problem. We have thousands of shows at our fingertips, but our time remains finite. One of the most frustrating experiences in modern entertainment is discovering halfway through a season that you have absolutely no memory of starting a show. You sit down to watch something new, and suddenly you realize you’ve already seen three episodes of this exact series. This happens to millions of people every single day, and it represents a genuine waste of precious leisure time that could be spent on shows you actually want to watch.
Understanding why this happens is the first step toward fixing it. The problem stems from several interconnected issues in how we consume streaming content today. First, there is the sheer volume of choices available. When you open Netflix or any streaming platform, you are confronted with hundreds or thousands of options. This abundance of choice actually makes decision-making harder, not easier. Psychologists call this the paradox of choice. When faced with too many options, we often make impulsive decisions or defer the decision entirely. We might start watching something just to have something playing in the background while we do other tasks.
Second, streaming platforms are designed to make starting shows incredibly easy. There is no friction in the process. You do not need to go to a store, rent a physical copy, or commit to anything. You simply click a button and the show begins playing. This low barrier to entry means we start shows without really thinking about whether we want to watch them. We might click on something because the thumbnail looked interesting, or because an algorithm suggested it, or simply because we were bored and needed something to fill the silence.
Third, our lives are chaotic and unpredictable. You might start watching a show when you have free time, but then life gets busy. Work deadlines pile up. Family obligations emerge. You get sick. You travel. Weeks or months pass, and you forget about that show you started. When you finally have free time again, you do not remember what you were watching or where you left off. Rather than trying to figure it out, you just start something new.
Fourth, many of us watch shows while doing other things. We watch while scrolling on our phones, while working, while eating dinner, or while half-asleep. In this state of divided attention, we do not form strong memories of what we are watching. The show becomes background noise rather than something we are actively engaging with. This makes it much easier to forget that we started it in the first place.
The consequences of this behavior are real. You waste time watching shows you do not actually care about. You feel frustrated and confused when you realize you have already started something. You accumulate a mental backlog of unfinished shows that creates a sense of obligation and guilt. You might feel like you should finish a show just because you started it, even if you are not enjoying it. This obligation can actually make watching shows feel like a chore rather than a pleasure.
So how do you fix this problem? The solution involves changing your behavior and your relationship with streaming platforms. Here are concrete, practical strategies that actually work.
First, keep a list of shows you have started. This might sound simple, but it is remarkably effective. You can use a notes app on your phone, a spreadsheet, a piece of paper, or any system that works for you. The key is to write down every show you start watching, along with which season and episode you are on. When you finish a show, mark it as complete. When you abandon a show, mark it as abandoned. This list serves as your external memory. Instead of relying on your brain to remember what you started, you have a reliable reference that you can check anytime.
The act of writing something down also makes you more intentional about starting shows. If you know you have to add it to your list, you might think twice before clicking play on something random. You become more selective about what you start because you are creating a visible record of your choices.
Second, establish a rule about how many shows you can have in progress at one time. This might be three shows, five shows, or ten shows, depending on how much you watch. The specific number does not matter as much as having a limit. Once you reach your limit, you cannot start a new show until you finish or abandon one of your current shows. This creates a natural constraint that forces you to be more intentional about your choices.
This rule also prevents the common problem of having dozens of shows in various states of incompletion. When you have too many shows going at once, it becomes impossible to remember what is happening in each one. You lose track of plot points, character names, and story arcs. By limiting yourself to a smaller number, you can actually pay attention to what you are watching.
Third, give yourself permission to abandon shows. This is crucial. Many people feel obligated to finish every show they start, even if they are not enjoying it. This obligation is self-imposed and unnecessary. Life is too short to watch shows you do not like. If you start a show and realize after a few episodes that it is not for you, stop watching it. Mark it as abandoned on your list and move on to something else.
This permission to quit actually makes you more selective about what you start in the first place. If you know you do not have to finish something, you are more willing to try new things. You might start a show that turns out to be amazing, or you might start one that is not your style. Either way, you are not wasting time on something you do not want to watch.
Fourth, be intentional about when and how you start new shows. Do not just click on something random because you are bored. Instead, think about what you actually want to watch. What genre are you in the mood for? What kind of story appeals to you right now? Do you want something light and funny, or something dark and intense? Do you want something you can watch while doing other things, or something that requires your full attention?
Take a few minutes to think about these questions before you start watching. You might even make a list of shows you want to watch ahead of time, so when you have free time, you already know what you want to watch. This eliminates the decision paralysis that often leads to impulsive choices.
Fifth, create a specific time and place for watching shows. Instead of watching shows whenever and wherever, designate certain times and locations for this activity. Maybe you watch shows on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, or on Sunday afternoons. Maybe you watch in your living room on the couch, or in your bedroom before bed. By creating this structure, you make watching shows a deliberate activity rather than something that happens randomly throughout your day.
This structure also helps you remember what you are watching. If you watch a show at the same time each week, you are more likely to remember where you left off. You are also more likely to form consistent viewing habits, which means you are more likely to actually finish shows you start
