As an organization that focuses a lot on news, we are big on ignoring it.
Sounds confusing? Well read on.
In today’s age of information overload, we believe knowing what to ignore is the first step in knowing what to know. Sifting through the piles of junk in the form of what passes for ‘news’ today (this includes, surprise, surprise! your Facebook and Twitter feeds) can be an almost overpowering task; something that can completely suck the productivity out of your day. In the words of Inc’s Larry Kim
“The news is like the cookie monster. It just doesn’t know when to stop. It has little to no self-control. News, or the farcical stories that pass today for “news”, makes an effort to kidnap every spare moment with its ubiquitous presence while holding productivity ransom.”
The article goes on to lay out a logic of why, exactly, news hurts your productivity;
– News is aggressive and rude. It’s relentless in seeking attention as it pulls at your shirtsleeves, begging to be noticed on televisions, smartphones, and radios. It whines at you from Twitter, Facebook, your inbox. Anywhere you go, the “news” is sure to follow.
– It’s possessive like a selfish lover. News refuses to relinquish attention, always asking you to click another article, read the full story, watch the exclusive video reel, just give them one more chance.
– It really doesn’t change that much. Most news is the same rehashed drivel, tale as old as time.
– Most news is trivial and doesn’t matter. At. All. Most news so inconsequential that it’s embarrassing. Puppies are pulled out of ice sheets, dancing pigs are rescued from the bacon machine. As far as momentous events that will affect your life, 99.9% of the news is irrelevant filler.
– It’s insanely unreliable. New research shows that a glass of red wine before bed is good for your health. Bad for your health. Good for your heath again. Bad for your health again. Does not affect your heath at all.
– It’s bad for your brain. Feed your brain real knowledge, not crummy Chicken McNugget news (Sure, it tastes great as an indulgence, but devouring it every day will only hurt you). Don’t forget GIGO–garbage in, garbage out.
– Most of it is downright depressing. Yes, terrible things happen in the world, but you already knew that. Filling your head with the negativity offered by many “news” sources will do nothing to benefit you. Having a positive outlook on life is extremely important–your attitude affects your career, life satisfaction, and even your physical health. Don’t let the news rain on your parade (the parade of life).
– News sites are all about the money. News isn’t created today to enrich your life through learning or keep you up-to-date on current events. Most news sites are covered in ads, begging for clicks. Don’t fall victim.
– It’s not actionable. The news can keep us awake at night as we wrestle with tragedies, such as the MH370 airplane disappearance. Unfortunately, there’s usually nothing we can do to change such situations. It’s more constructive to focus attention on the things we actually have control over.
– A lot of it is inaccurate or untrue. In an effort to deliver the latest breaking news, news sites are constantly working to push out as many articles as possible, 24/7. This extremely fast turnaround means most news articles are riddled with inaccuracies. Some contain bold-faced lies, as the need to create something “fresh” overrides the need to make something accurate.
– No one is judging you for not being up-to-date on current events. Most people are way too caught up in their own lives to care if you know who won the presidential election in Zimbabwe.
– The news that DOES matter will make itself known. The news that truly matters will get to you eventually -a friend will tell you about it, you’ll see it in the Sunday paper, etc. Don’t stress about missing major events.
– News is distracting you from what really matters. News makes you give up spare time that you deserve to use for yourself. The sacrifices mount as you surrender a few chapters of the latest New York Times bestseller during your commute, your lunch break, your phone call with an old friend, and, of course, your productivity. The costs of following the “news” add up.
Focus today is under attack by distraction. The trick to truly taking advantage of the internet age’s massive information boom, while still maintaining your productivity (and sanity) is to ignore the trash, consistently. And there is a lot of trash out there. At Frontier I, helping our clients do this basically forms the rationale for our business; we help them deal with information, going the extra step of actually searching for and telling them exactly what they need to know.
Your attention is a valuable asset. Don’t waste it on a compulsive urge to get to know every little detail about what happened to that cat who ate a bicycle. Curious to know more? Or interested to know how you as an individual can better manage your information? Leave a comment or just contact us via phone or email (contact details on our website) for some free advice!
