Many of us have probably been glued to the news as of late due to Trump/Russia/travel ban/healthcare/alternative facts/etc. For my part, I have a hard time avoiding various websites and Twitter accounts. It's getting to be untenable. For the most part, this stuff is outside my circle of control. I know I'm a citizen of a republic and I have a voice, etc. etc., but I can't change the stuff that bothers me the most, at least not right away. Knowing every little detail of every news development every single day is exhausting and takes time away from other things, limits my daily accomplishments, and so forth.
So, here's what I'm thinking:
Step 1: Ditch all subscriptions I pay for. I currently subscribe to the print Economist (for the "thoughtful conservative," free marketer viewpoint) and the New Yorker (for the liberal, secular humanist viewpoint). Unsubscribing will fatten my wallet and keep these info sources out of my immediate vicinity. Double win.
Step 2: Block various websites and Twitter accounts that occupy too much of my attention.
Step 3: Set aside a couple of hours each week to visit the local library and read the latest Economist, New Yorker, and perhaps Sunday NYT paper. They have these in my local library's reading room.
That's it! I already don't have TV, so I'm not keeping CNN on in the background or anything like that.
Starting next week, I'm going to challenge myself to follow this process for a solid month. Hopefully, it will be a success and I'll keep it up. Who's with me?