1 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office, 2 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 1: new world of work or though location and hours are 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: more flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:23,760 Speaker 1: put a ten minute limit on your consumption of news 6 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: about COVID nineteen or anything that might make you panicky. 7 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: It's easy to get sucked into negative news. This is 8 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: true for the current pandemic and will be true in 9 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:38,879 Speaker 1: the future for various calamities that will strike humanity. But 10 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: wallowing and upsetting news doesn't do anything good for your health, 11 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: for your community, or for your productivity. So the wisest 12 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: course is to learn to keep these things in check. 13 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: This is particularly true when you're working from home and 14 00:00:55,440 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: there is nothing external to limit your news consumption. Wherever 15 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: you get your news, the last month has provided a 16 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: steady stream of disconcerting headlines. Has social distancing or sheltering 17 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: in place flatten the curve in your region? Can you 18 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: get the coronavirus through a cardboard Amazon box? When will 19 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: things be back to normal or a new normal, whatever 20 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 1: that happens to be. The questions are endless and answers 21 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: it seems are in shorter supply, and so it's easy 22 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: to read one article after another, or to get absorbed 23 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 1: in watching the news When you're working remotely, the prospect 24 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: of a boss or a colleague walking by your desk 25 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: and noticing what's on your screen doesn't curb your impulse 26 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: to hop over to CNN every five minutes. And make 27 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: no mistake, anyone in the content business has a vested 28 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: interest in hooking you for as long as possible. Happy 29 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: news doesn't keep people clicking, nor does normalcy. So you 30 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: need to regulate your own consumption of news for the 31 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: sake of your productivity and your mental health. I think 32 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 1: the best way to do this is to exit the 33 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: twenty four hours news cycle if you don't have a 34 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: good professional reason for being in it, and to limit 35 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: your consumption of anything that might provoke anxiety to ten 36 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: minutes a day. You should set this panic time, if 37 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 1: you want to call it that, at a moment when 38 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: you are most able to deal with it, probably not 39 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: before bed, when anxiety might interfere with sleep. Maybe it's 40 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,359 Speaker 1: a quick check in during a mid morning break or 41 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 1: right before you go for a run, or something else 42 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: that will put you in a far more positive frame 43 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 1: of mind. So how do you stick to a ten 44 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,799 Speaker 1: minute limit? For starters? If your homepage is a news site, 45 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: change it. If you are subscribed to news alerts, unsubscribe. 46 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: If you have a friend who sends you news links 47 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: throughout the day, don't click on them, or set up 48 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 1: your email to send any ForWords from this friend to 49 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 1: a folder that you won't see until you want to. 50 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: If you have a hard time stopping once you've started reading, 51 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:05,920 Speaker 1: use a timer to let you know when you've hit 52 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: your ten minute limit. Setting boundaries on your consumption of 53 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: news lets you do your work and live your life. 54 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 1: You can be an informed citizen and get the major 55 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 1: updates in ten minutes. You might even consciously end your 56 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: ten minutes with an action that produces positive change, like 57 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: making a small donation to a non profit such as 58 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: Doctors Without Borders, or buying a gift card to a 59 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: local restaurant to help with their cash flow, call, or 60 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: send a text to an elderly relative who's feeling isolated. 61 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: All of these can help channel worry into something more productive. 62 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: They provide a nice transition ritual from news consumption into 63 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: dealing with your work and your life. Because here's the thing, 64 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: I'm not a Pollyanna, and I know that some people 65 00:03:55,600 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: listening to this are facing very difficult circumstances. But many people, 66 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: there is probably much about your life that is objectively 67 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: good now too. Maybe you're spending more time with immediate 68 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: family members. In the northern hemisphere, we're enjoying wonderful spring weather. 69 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,039 Speaker 1: Big shake ups and organizations and in how we work 70 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: can open up opportunities if you're willing to look for them. 71 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: Too much time spent reading news crowds out these very 72 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: real good things. They aren't clickbait, but they are true. Two. So, 73 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: for the sake of your work and your sanity, put 74 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 1: a ten minute limit on your COVID nineteen news and 75 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: commit to keeping this habit as new disasters and arguments 76 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: fill the news in the future. Bad news is unfortunately eternal, 77 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: but good news exists too. We have to train ourselves 78 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:58,559 Speaker 1: to see both. In the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks 79 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: for listening, and here to succeeding in the New Corner Office. 80 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: The New Corner Office is a production of iHeartRadio. For 81 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: more podcasts, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 82 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:15,279 Speaker 1: you get your favorite shows,