The best time management for Silicon Valley engineers starts at home, and televisions have little value other than showing movies (and rebroadcasting LA Dodgers baseball games, my favorites). I know Americans love to tune in every week and find out whose “friends” are and what happened on “Melrose Place” (Still on? Shows you how much I keep up with TV!).
Obviously, sitting in front of the TV for hours is a waste of time and not the best of time management strategies. The engineer could be doing things to promote personal growth that will lead to their dream of becoming a pilot, climber, or consultant in Tokyo. On the other hand, there is a “quality time” argument with the family (after all, that is the intention: to spend more time with the family).
Perhaps the term “destroy the television” is a bit harsh. How about “reprogramming” it (hook up a DVD player?) to play movies the whole family will enjoy (mainly on weekends?)? On weeknights, the kids should be doing the homework you need to help them with.
And then there are video games: engineers and technical professionals seem to love them. I was one of those engineers who was never interested in video games. In fact, I have no idea what the latest video craze is or what the current game names are.
Now that I think about it, this article is more geared towards the children of the engineer. By not mindlessly watching TV and sitting idle in front of the computer screen while aliens blast away with their laser guns (or whatever), the engineer is setting an example for them. Wouldn’t it be nice to replace it with a family activity: golf, bowling, or even going for a walk or hike?
It all comes down to moderation. A few beers on a Friday night is a good time for an engineer and a few beers every night is a bad habit that needs to be corrected. The same goes for watching TV and playing video games (both for yourself and for the family).