854 Hours to a New Me

I am a news junkie. But I'm trying to quit. I am becoming self-aware in my old age and I realized exactly how much the news was killing me. No matter which network I watched, read, or listened to. All it ever did was aggravate me. I would wake up and either turn on the news or read it online. I would read newspapers, news magazine, newsletters. You name it, I read it - so long as it was news.

Think about it: Starting your day by reading or hearing about terrorist attacks, earthquakes, bank robberies, disease, war, depression, recession, fraud, AIDS, cancer, rape, famine... it makes me sick just thinking about it. I would wake up at 5:00AM and immediately start feeding myself this garbage. No wonder I've been so unhappy!

I estimate I have spent about three hours a day on news. It seems like a lot, but think about it: an hour in the morning from the time I would wake up around 5:00 until six, when I would wake the family; an hour in the car most mornings, tuned to NPR or some news / talk radio station. I would typically listen to the radio (news), read the paper, a magazine, etc. That's two hours. Radio on the way home (yes, as a matter of fact, I do listen to music... sometimes) and then the news on TV while I checked e-mails, did my chores, etc. This was always at least an hour. To be easy on myself I am counting three hours per day from Monday thru Friday and an hour each on Saturday and Sunday for a grand total of 854 hours per year of news. I've been doing this to myself for years.

So, for the next year, I will avoid the news. Entirely. I will dedicate the 854 hours not spent on sensationalism, slant, and negativity on improving myself. I intend to chronicle this journey right here and share it with you (if you even care.) I expect I will be a better person when this is all over. I also expect I will spend more than 854 hours on this project since I will spend less time arguing with friends about politics.

I thought of starting this on my birthday, which is in July. I'll be 39 this year and I thought this would be a great project to finish on my 40th birthday. I decided against that because this is too important (to me) for gimmicks. Like any project or change that requires great personal commitment, sometimes it's better to just do it now. If you set a start date in the future, it'll end up like all the other things you meant to do and never did.

Now for the rules:

1. No news does not mean no TV. I do not intend to give up "Family Guy". Also the new season of "Entourage" starts in June and I will watch it. I also intent to enjoy "Arrested Development" reruns on IFC On Demand. I will also watch movies, including several Disney cartoons several million times each (thanks to my daughters.) Oh, and there's no way I will miss this year's Tour De Lance!

2. No news does not mean no Magazines. I have grown quite fond of certain magazines and articles. Most are travel-related like Outside Magazine. No news there.

3. I cannot help that I will occasionally make incidental contact with the news. For example, I may be listening to music on the radio and a news flash interrupts. If it's relevant to the safety of my family, I will pay attention. If it's another Obama press conference, I'm switching stations.

4. Hurricane season starts soon. I do not care about storm predictions (which are nonsense most of the time) but if there is an imminent threat, I will tune it - though just enough to get what I need. In the event of a hurricane making landfall, I will leave the radio on during the storm.

5. I will make every effort to spend at least three hours of every day on educating myself. This will include reading the bible. I will read self-help books. I will read biographies, which I have always enjoyed. I will try to spend a little quality time with William Shakespeare - no promises. I will listen to books on CD or MP3. I might join Netflix and enjoy some classics. I will spend time with people who will help me improve myself. (Looking for a mentor - whaddya say?) I will share what I learn along the way)

6. I will write about the experience. I have every reason to expect that this will improve me as a human being. I hope this will inspire others to examine their lives and decide whether they are putting too much of their precious time and energy into things that make no sense and don't help. For me, it's news. For you, it might be TV, surfing the web, texting, chatting, hanging out, drinking, partying, drugs. Whatever. I'm not saying any of these things are right or wrong (except the drugs - they're generally bad) but are they the best use of your time?

Of course, if this doesn't inspire anyone or change anyone's perceptions, it won't matter. I'm doing it for my wife and my kids. I'm doing it for my parents. Ultimately, I'm doing this for myself.

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