WEBVTT - Check the news once a day

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to check the news once per day. Well.

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<v Speaker 1>This is wise for productivity at any point, it is

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<v Speaker 1>particularly important during times of widespread anxiety. I normally take

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast episodes a few weeks ahead. That helps me

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<v Speaker 1>cope with unexpected disruptions to life and expected events too,

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<v Speaker 1>like my fifth child's arrival in late December. We certainly

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<v Speaker 1>have had more than a few unexpected disruptions now if

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<v Speaker 1>my kids out of school for the next few weeks

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<v Speaker 1>due to emergency measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

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<v Speaker 1>But I decided to swap in a few last minute

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<v Speaker 1>episodes anyway in order to address what everyone is thinking about.

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<v Speaker 1>Like many of us, I spent many hours of the

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<v Speaker 1>past week or so looking at headlines trying to come

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<v Speaker 1>to grips with what a glow bull pandemic might mean.

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<v Speaker 1>I also then realized, at some point, when I was

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<v Speaker 1>looking at the New York Times homepage yet again, and

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<v Speaker 1>my beautiful three month old baby boy was giggling at

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<v Speaker 1>his toys, that this was the wrong way to be

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<v Speaker 1>spending my time. We are controlling what we can control

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<v Speaker 1>in this household, continuing the kid's education at home, making

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<v Speaker 1>sure we wash hands, avoiding crowds, and not making any

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<v Speaker 1>rash financial moves. But if reading headlines doesn't do anything

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<v Speaker 1>but produce anxiety, then there is no point spending more

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<v Speaker 1>time on this than necessary. And so I have a

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<v Speaker 1>new rule for myself. Check the news once per day.

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<v Speaker 1>Back many years ago, this is about as often as

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<v Speaker 1>we would have been able to get the news anyway,

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<v Speaker 1>in a morning paper perhaps, or watching the evening news.

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<v Speaker 1>I can remain an informed person by looking at what

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<v Speaker 1>is going on in the world once. Other than that,

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<v Speaker 1>I can help my children with their homeschooling, read books,

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<v Speaker 1>play outside, and watch my baby learn new things every day.

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<v Speaker 1>This is a much more productive use of time. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I will admit that this is not easy. Anxiety induces

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<v Speaker 1>us to pick up the phone and see what the

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<v Speaker 1>situation is and see if it has changed. But general

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<v Speaker 1>mindfulness helps a lot. When I pick up the phone,

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<v Speaker 1>I try to pause and ask why if I am

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<v Speaker 1>just about to check the news again, well, time to

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<v Speaker 1>scroll through baby photos or read something on the kindle

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<v Speaker 1>app Eventually we will be on the other side of this,

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<v Speaker 1>but I think checking news once a day remains a

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<v Speaker 1>good rule. Indeed, I might suggest people try subscribing to

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<v Speaker 1>a physical newspaper and building the day's news consumption into

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<v Speaker 1>a morning ritual. Then you can spend the rest of

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<v Speaker 1>the day focused on what you need to and not

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<v Speaker 1>on things that won't change whether you read about them

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<v Speaker 1>ten times a day or once, And maybe you could

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<v Speaker 1>spend some of the freed up time looking at things

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<v Speaker 1>that do remind you of what is still good in

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<v Speaker 1>the world. Baby giggles and blooming flowers are doing that

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<v Speaker 1>for me and for those I am grateful In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b the number

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<v Speaker 1>four then breakfast p o D. You can also shoot

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<v Speaker 1>me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart

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<v Speaker 1>media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with

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<v Speaker 1>all the letters. Thanks so much. I look forward to

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<v Speaker 1>staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit

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