Forget The News And Instead Do Something Useful With Your Time
July 28, 2009 – 4:54 amIt’s hard to stay away from watching the news, worrying about the economy, etc. After all, if you’re reading this blog you’re probably browsing a hundred other blogs and articles that tend to report and discuss the latest news items. Although I browse a few other blogs form time to time, I’ve tried my best to avoid simply reporting news here at Harvesting Dollars. There are plenty of other blogs and news outlets for that, and I would much rather spend my time (and yours) discussing other topics that will hopefully improve our lives directly. Therefore I try to either try to write on topics that I’ve been thinking about or dealing with personally, or at times I’ll find an article or post with an interesting idea that I’d like to discuss.
I honestly believe that most people spend way too much time watching TV, and this includes watching the news.
What benefit does watching the news give you? Hearing about a hurricane and watching a political debate can clearly be of value, but do you need to watch a full hour of news a day to hear about those things? For a lot of people news can cause you to worry. I tend to have a low tolerance for pain when it comes to investment losses. Therefore it’s been in my best interest these past few days to avoid all news sources. I haven’t even browsed my usual blog feeds because I don’t really want to know if the market had a huge rebound last week or continued to struggle. I know that I’m a long term investor, and that this weeks events will just be a blip over a 40 year investment horizon. It’s in my best interest to avoid temptation and worry by avoiding next that will only give me anxiety. You could consider this an ostrich approach, but I think it’s more like avoiding a bar if you’re an alcoholic. You know what’s best for you, and if news isn’t actually improving your life in a direct way I recommend removing it from your life.
Consultants who travel every week have a saying that you should also be moving closer to your destination. If your flight home from NYC to Chicago is canceled, then try to get a flight to Detroit. Or Cleveland. Just make sure you’re moving towards your destination and you’ll eventually get home. The same is true of your goals. Spend time on things that add the most value to you, even if it’s recreational value. Like with budgeting and frugality it’s about getting the most benefit from something, either money or time. Don’t waste your time on low value things.
Parents frequently monitor and restrict the types of shows their children can watch, but they rarely take the time to do the same for themselves. Is watching a full hour of Headline News really adding anything to your life? Chances are you’re more healthy now than you ever will be again. Why not take advantage of the time you have now and go play with your kids (dragging them from the TV too) or have a family game night. The old saying says that people never wish they had worked more on their death bed. I would bet they probably don’t wish they’d have watched more TV or caught last nights news broadcast either.
What is one low-value recreational thing you can stop doing and one high-value recreational thing you can start doing?
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