Photo courtesy of Stephen Bowler

Like many people, I do not have the time or luxury of watching television on a regular basis. Between work, school and my attempt to fit in a social life, I often miss episodes of my favorite shows. Luckily, thanks to the brilliance of two men named Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings (founders of Netflix), I have been able to watch these shows at my convenience. So when I do magically find some time catch up on Meredith and McDreamy’s adoption troubles and Chuck and Blair’s see-sawing love affair, I make sure I have everything I need to make my TV marathon a success.

1. If you don’t have a subscription to Netflix, find a website such as Hulu or xfinity that will allow you to watch as many episodes in a row as you can cram in.

The buffering for the videos can get really annoying, really fast, so it may be worth it to ask a friend to either borrow the DVDs of the show or use their Netflix account.

2. This step is extremely important: CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE.

Nothing is worse than getting to a really dramatic part of an episode or season and then having stop and go to work. I had this misfortune when I was mid-way through the first season of Game of Thrones. Let’s just say I was slightly crabby and distracted during that particular work shift.

3. Claim a comfortable couch

Chances are, after your marathon there will probably be a permanent butt print in that couch. If you’re doing it right, you should be there at least a couple hours.

4. Have multiple pairs of sweatpants readily available

This is pretty self-explanatory. Who wants to watch TV in a dress or jeans? Not me.

5. Stock up on microwavable foods and snacks

You can’t just cook a meal in the middle of an episode. The key is to get up from the couch as little as possible and if you do have to get up you gotta make it quick otherwise you’ll miss something. I suggest frozen meals like Lean Cuisines (there’s a reason people used to call them TV dinners).

6. Pause your show for bathroom breaks

Although I said above that you should get up as little as possible, this is one great exception. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go. So keep that remote control close so you can pause it until after you do your business. But if you choose not to get up for potty breaks, I suggest you throw away that couch after your marathon is done. And take a shower… or two.