When I was in high school, I used to be both afraid and in awe of those who would binge watch a whole season of a show in one sitting. It was always so scary to me how they have the willpower to sit in front of their gadget screens for that long. I would get tired sitting in front of my desktop after five minutes. However, this pandemic has lasted long enough for me to get sucked into the TV show binging culture. Now, as a self-proclaimed binge-watcher, I think I’m qualified to give people tips when it comes to binge watching. Here are a few of them:

1. Have a proper streaming service.

The first step to watching a TV show is to have a streaming service to watch it on. Before, we only had cable TV *cough*Astro*cough* but nowadays, we have a variety of platforms to choose from. Some of them include Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and HBOGo. If you can’t afford to subscribe to these streaming services, or perhaps the show you want to binge is unavailable on these platforms or even in your country, you could always check out other streaming services online or resort to other alternatives. You all know what’s up 😉

2. Make sure the Wi-Fi connection is stable.

Now that you have found the perfect streaming service with the show of your choice, you would want to check your Internet connection. You don’t want to be in the middle of a suspenseful part of the show when your Wi-Fi fails you. Imagine watching a murder mystery and just as the culprit is shown, BOOM! There goes your connection. It’s really frustrating, take it from me. For a binge session, I would recommend using Wi-Fi instead of data connection as the latter is pricier, but hey, you do you.

3. Prepare some snacks.

After my binge sessions, I’m reminded why we buy popcorn when we go to the movies. Snacks are IMPORTANT, y’all! Have something to munch on with you or somewhere nearby because you’re going to need it, especially if you’re binging something extra long (looking at you guys, Supernatural and Grey’s Anatomy). It doesn’t necessarily have to be sweet and fatty. You could get healthier snacks like freshly cut fruits or maybe a salad and stay away from the unhealthy snacks. But I’m just gonna stick to my chocolates for now.

4. Get a comfy spot.

It could be on a spacious couch or a bean bag, snuggled in your bed, or laying on your carpet. This is subjective as everyone perceives comfort differently. You wouldn’t want to finish your binge session to be greeted with a sore neck or backaches, would you? Avoid that by ensuring that your ‘binge spot’ (as I call it) is comfortable. You could also customise your binge spot to suit your comfort level. I made this mistake early on, leaving my body feeling like an elderly person’s. Try to find a place which isn’t too hot or too cold for a better watching experience. Be like Goldilocks, don’t settle for less, and enjoy your binging experience.

5. Eliminate all distractions.

When binging, you should try to allocate a certain duration where you are free from disturbances if you want premium binging experience. You would want to binge without having your parents or roommate calling you to help you with an errand. The only exception to this rule is if you are procrastinating, because I’m sure we’ve all had a binge session during exam week or even assignment submission week.

6. Enjoy!

The key to a perfect binge is to take it easy and enjoy what you watch. I’ve had to stop watching certain shows because I just couldn’t handle them. Remember that everyone’s taste in shows is different. So, move on to another show if the one you’re watching doesn’t pique your interest. We have an abundance of shows!