Why You Should Go On A News Diet – NOW!

When was the last time you watched or listened to the News?

Do you remember what was presented?

By definition, it was highly likely something negative. Something ‘worthwhile’ to write about for the newspaper, to increase readers, views, sales of advertisements etc.

Why do you think can we often find a tragedy on the first page of the paper?

Because it provokes our biggest fears inside us and they use catchy titles, which make us read that stuff. Brr….

Is it actually good for us?

I highly doubt it.

Believe it or not, I have not been actively following the news since Christmas now.

No daily News Update on the TV, nor the regular web browsing on major newspapers.

This does not mean that I missed out on a lot of things, because I was either informed by someone who told me a story about something that had happened or I informed myself every once in a while with what was going on.

So, I did not stop completely to be “up to date” for a long period of time, neither did I set a specific goal for it or anything like that.

I happened to re-read Tim Ferriss’ book before Christmas time, which reminded me of this new habit of “news diet”, which I had originally picked up when I was living in Southern France.  I actually do not remember how I came across it back then.

I only remember what a relief it was, when I no longer watched the news on a daily basis!

Here are some of the biggest benefits:

1. No (additional) negative thoughts were triggered in my head when I returned home from a busy day at work.
2. Higher chance for you to wind down.
3. Additional time saver of 15-30 minutes free to do something more exciting (per day – that adds up!).
4. More time to generate positive thoughts instead!

Give it a try for yourself!

You can follow this recipe, if you want to (adapted from Tim Ferriss’ approach):

1. Week 1: Not follow any news (on TV, paper or on the web). You’ll notice that less is more!
2. Week 2-3: Ask people around you (daily, in the beginning) when you grab a coffee or else whether you have missed something important. Usually they will tell you. Often it is not as important, as you would assume.
3. As of Week 4: Follow some news on an irregular basis, for example look at your favorite news only once or twice per week. That way you stay updated, and avoid at the same time to be bombarded with News each single day.

This is nothing magic, but it works. Give it a try, it will free your mind a bit and brings along more positive thoughts!

 

Do you think this would work for you? Leave a comment!