photo by futureatlas.com
As a followup to my post on my efforts to kill information overload (4 Ways I’m Fighting Information Overload) I have gone exactly 1 week without listening to or reading “news.” This meant: no accessing my favorite news sites, no talk radio in the morning, and no watching TV news channels.
My solution, in order to get my “fix” for information, is to ask people I trust what is happening in the world and to observe what people are talking about on Facebook and Twitter. This is not a revolutionary idea by any means. Many people smarter than I have advocated limiting your intake of information as it often creates depression and/or anxiety. However, I was skeptical I could do it. Between my commute to work, time spent on the internet, and having the TV on, I probably spend close to 2 hours a day absorbing information.
This morning I happened to catch 5 minutes of the Today Show. The big news of the morning was the passing of John Hughes, which caught my eye as I grew up on his films. However, before I knew it I was sucked into a series of depressing and negative stories: someone feel asleep at the wheel and killed 8 people (sorry to hear that, but does it really affect me?,) NBC was going to have the “exclusive” Kate Gosselin interview (like I care,) and some analyst telling me how Obama’s health care plan is going to change the world (because apparently I can’t make up my own mind on this.)
Who needs all this??? I quickly left the room. After this experience, I’m never going back to the old ways of getting information. I can get all the news I need from people I trust. News outlets can only serve to waste my time, bring on negative feelings, and mis-inform me.
See if you can go on an information diet for one week and choose to be ignorant of news:
- Don’t access any news based websites (ESPN, CNN, etc.) unless it’s relevant to your career. (ex. I still access technology news sites to keep apprised on news in my field.)
- Under no circumstances watch any national or local news or talk shows. Don’t listen to talk radio either.
- Don’t read any magazines or newspapers. Glancing at the headlines or front page is acceptable, but don’t read the articles.
- If you feel an urge to have information, ask a few trusted friends “what’s happening in the world today.”
For more ideas, check out this series of posts by author Tim Ferriss, which inspired my Low Information Diet.
Low Information Diet Archive – The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss
I’m with ya!
I have all these news sites bookmarked, but I haven’t looked at any of them on a consistent basis in I don’t know how long. Every once in a while I’ll glance at the Dispatch online, but usually only read an article or two. I might check out the Free Press online, but the same holds true – plus you can see the miserable Michigander comments, (I feel sorry for those folks) under the articles and they will chase away any reader. – In the Dispatch you have to click on the comments to read them.
I have been reading the SWCS articles lately, but only because we have a vested interest in that levy.
The one site I have tagged “news” is Google Reader which of course is the “news” I want to read.
I heard about the Patrick Kane, (BlackHawks) incident and went to ESPN for the first time in I don’t know how long to find out that he supposedly beat up a cabbie, but then really he didn’t, but then he did and whatever… I could care less. Back to my Google Reader. I have a few more feeds than you do, okay a lot more feeds than you do, but that’s what I want to read, what I want to know.
The other stuff will always be there if a friend tells me something I want to know more about.
Good post Gregor. Excellent advice, and a great way to engage your friends!
| August 11th, 2009 @ 7:56 pm
If I catch wind of a major news event, I have gone and checked it out on the net. I have found though that my trusted friends often can provide better, more accurate detail then the new sites.
Certainly keep as many feeds as you need, for me 15 seems to be a good number which I can keep up with.
Thanks for the comment!
| August 12th, 2009 @ 9:16 pm