So, the Game of Thrones season 6 premiere date is around the corner. The newest season is debuting on April 24, and the whole world will be watching. But it doesn’t have to. Sure, the showrunners say that season 6 is going to be the best one ever. And maybe it will be. But it’s going to be very different from the books, and will spoil Winds of Winter, And one quick lifehack can protect you from ruining your beloved A Song of Ice and Fire experience: Don’t watch it.

Watching Game of Thrones Season 6: Optional

Now, don’t get me wrong. While I may beat something of a drumbeat against the next season of Game of Thrones, I understand that the divergence from the source material—and the spoilerification of that source material, vis-à-vis Winds of Winter—is not of paramount concern to the entire fanbase. Many people, many book readers, ultimately don’t care that much. I myself may or may not care that much. But the point is—you have a choice. You getting spoiled on Winds of Winter isn’t inevitable. It will be your choice—or not.

There are minimal to no adverse consequences to declining to watch Game of Thrones season 6. Do you fear social ostracism? Not gonna happen. Do you fear spoilers? Legitimate, and you may want to read a little less of general-interest sites that throw spoilery headlines all over the place. But so what if you do get spoiled? That’s the glory of Game of Thrones season 6: Because the show has diverged so much from the books, you won’t actually know what’s a legitimate spoiler and what isn’t.

So don’t watch Game of Thrones season 6 if you don’t want to. Or, gasp, wait for the reviews, and see how spoilery it is. Or wait until Winds of Winter comes out, and then read it. All of these options and more are open to you. Internet peer pressure has no power over you now. You are free. When you play the Game of Thrones, you watch or don’t watch, or do a little bit of both. It doesn’t really matter.