I Stopped Watching News 6 Years Ago — Here’s Why You Should Quit, Too

No, you won’t miss anything “important.”

I never understood why people watched the news.

When I was a kid, they were on every evening after dinner. It was always the same-old, same-old. Some politicians fought about some law, some terrorists wanted to blow up some city, and some natural disaster plagued some country. Yawn.

At one point, I didn’t buy into the hype of the world is ending anymore. It’s completely wrong anyway. If you look at the facts on a global scale, life for humans is better than it has ever been before.

When I moved out, I started an experiment — and stopped watching the news altogether. I sold my TV, blocked websites, ignored newspapers, and unfollowed Instagram accounts. That was six years ago.

You might’ve toyed with the same thought as well.

Maybe you’re pissed off by all the fake news, biased media coverage (doesn’t matter if left or right), or the never-ending narrative of we’re all doomed and will die tomorrow.

There are a bunch of reasons to close the curtain on the whole circus.

Your mood will improve tremendously. You’ll have a lot more time since you won’t be caught up in the negativity spiral, disaster, and constant worries anymore. Overall, your life will get better on almost every conceivable level.

And the best part: You’ll still know what’s going on.

Most of What Happened Was Not What I Expected at All

Early on into my journey, I quickly noticed there were two types of people.

First, the ones who didn’t care at all. Most didn’t even know what I was doing and I didn’t bother yelling from the rooftops.

Second, the ones who thought I was extremely irresponsible. I’ve heard every version of “you need to know what’s going on in the world.” Yet, none has ever convinced me of why I need to do so. Feel free to give it a shot if you like.

I’ll be honest with you — I lowkey thought I’d miss important laws, news, or other changes. But apart from other people’s mixed responses, what happened wasn’t what I expected at all.

The first week

One week in, I already noticed the first changes.

Once I closed the door on the daily drama, I couldn’t discuss it with others anymore, so our conversations didn’t revolve around chaos and disaster. It’s amazing how much positivity you can find in your life once you start looking for it instead of focusing on your worries.

You have to cut the weeds for flowers to bloom.

The first month

After a few weeks, not watching the news had become my new normal.

I put the extra time to what I thought good use back then — downing beers, chasing girls, and playing computer games. Although I could’ve used my time better, I was having fun and enjoying my life, which was definitely better than getting an update on North Korea’s nuclear program.

Yet, I still had this nagging fear of missing out — surely, something important must’ve been going on I didn’t hear about?

The first year

Nothing did.

Once the first year of my experiment rolled around, I had assurance I didn’t miss out on anything. My family and friends told me about everything they considered important. I’ve forgotten most of it by now.

Whenever I heard about one of the prophecies of doom broadcasted to the country, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Not because I’m evil and enjoy suffering, but because I began to see the bigger picture.

When you realize most of the drama is nothing but smoke and mirrors, you don’t take it seriously anymore.

This isn’t always a good thing — but it for sure gives you peace of mind, and more time and energy to focus on improving your own life.

Six years and counting

It’s been six years and I didn’t regret my decision once.

Apart from the Bitcoin hype, I never thought “damn, I wish I knew about this sooner.” Even in times of Corona, I manage to stay updated on almost daily changing regulations.

During the last six years, I haven’t missed a single event that had a real, tangible impact on my life.

Instead, I’ve replaced drama with positivity and learned a bunch of important lessons.

The World Keeps Turning, Whether You Know About It or Not

You won’t change the world by watching the news.

You might feel that as a good citizen, you have to watch them, but really, the world doesn’t care. If you want to make an impact, go start a project, donate clothes, or get politically active — but stop watching the news because you think you’re supposed to or it makes you feel good about yourself.

Tomorrow will be a new day and good and bad things will happen, regardless if you know about them or not.

If your world depends on some politician’s speech, ask yourself why you consider their words so important — and if there isn’t something you should pay attention to instead, like your family, your friends, or your own life and happiness.

The world won’t end if you miss the news. It will keep turning, no matter what the guy on TV says.

No, You Won’t Miss Important Events

“What if you miss something important?” It’s the number one argument I get from people who disagree with my choice, and my answer is always the same: “You won’t.”

We live in a highly connected world. When something important happens, it takes the internet about five minutes to create a ton of memes, tweets, videos, and articles about it and another five minutes for people to spill them all over their social networks. You’re also in a bunch of messenger groups and have a phone people can call.

If something is important, you will find out about it soon enough.

People consider too many things important anyway.

Most news doesn’t have a real, tangible impact on your life, and you can’t change much of what happens in the first place.

You’ll Save Time and Energy — And You’ll Be Much Happier

News anchors wish you a good evening and then spend 15 minutes explaining why it isn’t one.

Have you ever wondered why most of the news is about disasters, scandals, and imminent catastrophes? The answer — as so often — lies deep within human nature.

Your brain is hardwired to pay more attention to negative information. This negativity bias is one of the reasons why bad news sells like hotcakes. But the news isn’t only gloomy, it’s also so strongly biased it’s flat-out wrong.

When you look at the facts, you see human life has never been better before. Across nearly all measurements — child mortality, poverty, education, equality, and a bunch of other stuff — we’ve made considerable progress in the last decades. Yet, the news still tells you we’re all doomed.

If you want a healthy body, don’t eat junk food. If you want a healthy mind, don’t feed it endless negativity.

If you crave news, subscribe to one of the many channels or newsletters that spread positive ones. You’ll be much happier and less stressed.

When you cut the weeds, you can plant flowers.

You Won’t Fit in with Certain People Anymore — and That’s a Good Thing

The older I get, the more I filter people.

When you stop watching the news, you drift away from the ones who indulge in them every day. You notice their world isn’t yours, mainly because theirs consists of lots of drama.

Removing yourself from the world of news is a great way to filter people who thrive in negativity.

In my circle of friends, nobody watches the news regularly. When we talk, we focus on the good things happening in our lives instead of the drama in the world. That doesn’t mean we’re ignorant — we just don’t dwell on the negativity.

Jim Rohn said “you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” The number is debatable, the fact is not.

Your friends and social circle have a huge impact on you — so choose these people wisely.

You Can Choose Your Diet Instead of Being Force-Fed

We live in a world of information overload. While a few decades ago access to information was the bottleneck, today, it’s our attention. Every minute, more than 500 hours of videos are uploaded on YouTube. There’s more material than we can handle.

“If you have more than three priorities, you don’t have any.”

— Jim Collins

You can’t eat your favorite food if your stomach is already full to the brim. In the same way, you can’t stay informed about one subject if you get bombarded with a ton of other stuff.

If you want to spend more time on what matters to you, you have to avoid what doesn’t.

When you stop watching the general news, you’re free to consciously choose what you’re interested in. Bitcoin, climate change, Corona, or the next elections — whatever it may be, you’re just one Google search away. And often, you’ll find opinions on a topic are much more nuanced than the ones you get by always watching the same channel.

You don’t have to withdraw yourself completely, but make a conscious choice about what information you consume.

What Have You Got To Lose?

“To be completely cured of newspapers, spend a year reading the previous week’s newspapers.”

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb

I never thought my experiment would turn out as it did and last for more than six years. I don’t see it stopping anytime soon, either.

Am I as informed about the world as I could be? No. Does this make a tangible difference in my life, or anyone else’s? No. Am I significantly happier? Without a doubt.

Not watching the news can lead to a serious fear of missing out. You’ll feel like you’re doing wrong and are supposed to stay updated on what’s happening. You don’t — you’re not a smartphone.

I encourage you to try it yourself. Get rid of any news for four weeks and spend your time and attention on what really matters to you instead — your passions, development, or friends and family. That’s where your life happens.

Once the first month is over, you’ll see everything is still the same — just without the constant stream of negativity flooding your mind. Then, you can decide if you want to go back — or stay at it, like I did.

The world will keep turning, and you’ll be much happier.

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