If there is one thing that being in quarantine has taught us, it is that there is plenty of stuff to watch on television. Between your friends texting you their enthusiastic suggestions to creating your own “to watch” list, watching TV has been a solid way to help pass the seemingly endless days at home.
At the same time, you still have things to do—for instance, you may be working from home or helping children with online school, and you have bills to pay, meals to cook and banana bread to bake. In other words, you want to watch live TV whenever you can, but unless you come up with a system, you may miss some of your shows.
Fear not, devoted fan of TV. With the following tips you can watch live TV from virtually anywhere, all without missing out on your favorite programs:
Set Up Reminders on Your Phone
Even though you are social distancing, you can still get together with a friend—albeit remotely through Zoom or FaceTime—to watch a program or two. So you are sure to remember your TV date with your BFF, set a reminder on your phone. Open up the Google Calendar app and in the bottom right hand corner, tap Create Event and then Reminder. Type in “Watch show with bestie” and then choose the date, time and frequency and in the top right tap Save. You could also set an alarm on your phone to go off about 15 minutes before your fave show—this will give you time to finish what you are doing, grab a beverage and then head to the TV to tune in.
Use the Features that Your Cable Company Provides
There are a number of ways to watch live TV; all you have to do is harness the power of your cable subscription. For instance, if you love watching sports, you can use the channel guide that shows listings for every hour or half hour, all from the convenience of your TV screen. Instead of using the listings in your local paper, which might not be complete, you can scroll through your cable guide on your TV and look for the games that are coming up.
Download Channel Apps to Your Mobile Device
Now that the weather is starting to cool off a bit, you might like the idea of catching your favorite live shows from your back patio. All you have to do is download the specific channel app that carries the show you want to watch, and you can tune in from a chaise lounge by your pool or under a tree on your back lawn. If you enjoy watching “The Today Show” every morning while sipping your coffee, you can download the NBC app to stream the latest full episodes of it and all of the other daytime, prime time and late-night shows. Sports fans can also download the ESPN app to watch the upcoming NFL games live from anywhere. This means if your kids have taken over the TV to play video games, you can still get your football fix on your phone or tablet in the comfort of your bedroom or the home office.
Pass the Time with Plenty of Live TV
As you can see, it is quite possible to tune in to plenty of live television during quarantine. All you need is a cable subscription and/or downloaded apps of your favorite channels, as well as a handy reminder system set up so you don’t accidentally miss a show. As a bonus, once quarantine is a thing of the past, you can continue to use these tips to stay current with whatever you enjoy watching.