Go On a Media Diet
Too many of us are chewing up hours each day in an effort to “stay informed” and “keep up” but also to waste time in between other tasks. It’s time to go on a diet. A media diet.
How to Start Your Media Diet
Look at the blogs and newsletters you currently receive. You already know which ones you read fervently. Those will probably stay in your regular rotation. It’s the other stuff that has to go.
Here are the two core questions I ask myself when deciding whether to keep or chuck something:
- Does it make me think?
- Does it help me ACT?
If I can’t answer yes to one or two, then it’s a NO and I delete it.
You Should Know
- The news rarely helps you. It mostly angers you.
- Most media is written so you’ll have something to consume with your ads. (It’s about the ads, not the content.)
- “Keeping up” is rarely helpful in business. Doing something newsworthy is a better goal.
- The time you get back, hours each day, can be used for whatever you want.
- No one will notice.
A lot of times, we use media as a kind of social glue. We use it so that when someone says, “Hey did you see they shot a gorilla?,” you can answer “Oh yes, I saw that.”
What goes along with that? A lot of times, you feel an emotion. You take no action based on that information. It’s just there, chewing into your brain and heart.
News is only useful if you intend to take action based on the information. Your favorite band is coming to your town? Great! That’s useful. A Senator proposes a change to a law that would change your life? TAKE ACTION! Something is happening somewhere else and it’s such a shame? Not useful. (Again, unless you take action.)
Go On a Media Diet
- Limit what you choose to watch/listen to/read. Start unsubscribing liberally.
- Limit your time to consume media to 30 minutes/day.
- Try skipping entire information sources you’ve made a habit.
- See what happens.
I promise it’ll be astonishing. And not in that clickbait title way: YOU went on a media diet. What happened next shocked EVERYONE.
It won’t shock anyone. You’ll just get some of your life back.
I even recommend unsubscribing from my newsletter, if it’s not helpful and if you can’t take action based on what you get there. I mean it. I’m here to help.
Go forth and diet!
Source: Chris Brogan