Quitting the news
Dropping the daily news cycle rather than trying to follow it more carefully
No newspaper, no headlines app, no rolling coverage. The argument is opportunity cost rather than accuracy: news is by definition the part that will not matter in a year. People who do it say the important stories reach them anyway, through work or friends. What you give up is being current in conversations.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Shane ParrishDoes it
Writer · Farnam Street and The Knowledge Project
Reading things that have lasted had one result he calls surprising: he stopped reading the news. He tells readers to read old books and skip most new ones, since news is by definition the part that will not last.
Source: fs.blog: strategies to retain everything you read
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or stress.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Daily meditation
10-20 minutes of formal practice, most days
On record from 21 of 62 tracked people: 17 do it, 1 recommends it, 3 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Deliberate solitude
Regular time with your own thoughts and no other inputs
On record from 12 of 62 tracked people: 9 do it, 3 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily prayer
A fixed time for prayer each morning, before the phone and before the day starts
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it - HabitFREE, no cost
Personal mantra
A quote kept where you will see it before you perform, taped up or written on your gear
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it - HabitFREE, no cost
Quitting social media
Deleting the accounts rather than trying to use them less
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 has discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Chess
Short games used as a mental reset between blocks of demanding work
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.