Switching Off From The News When There’s Something Big Going Down

Steps to escape the 24-hour news cycle

When I woke up this morning, I had three main objectives:

1. Finish my article on Portuguese literature;
2. Work on a few things that need sorting on my website;
3. Get back to my Indonesian vocabulary learning that I have been neglecting for almost a week.

I achieved none of them. Instead I found myself stuck in an inescapable TV news loop for the third consecutive day.

What’s Going Down

I don’t want to waste even more time by writing about the political scandal that has gripped the UK since Friday evening. But I should quickly summarise the situation:

In short, the UK prime minister’s top aide has been caught severely breaking lockdown rules and the government has shamelessly denied any wrongdoing by retrospectively adding a series of contrived loopholes to the rules that this aide helped to write. They have shown their arrogance and contempt for the British people by manipulating and lying to millions of ordinary citizens who have sacrificed so much during the supposed “national effort” and who haven’t been able to see their families in months because they have been abiding by the government’s rules. The government has undermined its own authority and can no longer be trusted to deliver guidance when it has so blatantly changed its key “Stay at home” message in order to protect the career of one of its friends. This is likely to result in many more deaths…

But like I said, I’m not going to talk about it. Except to say that I, like the majority of law-abiding Brits, am furious about this (just in case it wasn’t already clear). If you feel compelled to see what a corrupt and odious government we have here in the UK, you can read the original story that set off the scandal here.

Interminable Cycle

Unsurprisingly, I have been struggling to concentrate amidst this continuous drama. My blood has been boiling and I’ve not managed to settle down to any of the tasks I had wanted to complete.

You would think that the answer is easy: turn off all devices and hide them under the bed. Alas, if only it were so simple.

In the last 24 hours there have been press conferences, official statements, fresh revelations, fresh government lies, non-stop speculation, heartfelt testimonies of people’s lockdown sacrifices, government briefings…

Certain events were impossible to avoid: the aide gave an unprecedented conference at 4pm (to which he didn’t turn up until half past), which was followed by the Prime Minister peddling some more half-truths and downright lies at 7pm.

Then there’s the constant urge I had to check social media every time I was attempting to get something done. Unfortunately, my three tasks all involved using my laptop. It is all too tempting to think, I’ll just have a quick peek at Twitter, and before you know it you’ve become trapped all over again in an interminable cycle of updates (real and speculated), allegations (true and fake) and satirical takes on these updates and allegations (one of the best).

What to do

I told myself that today I would avoid following the news as I had the previous two days — and I failed miserably.

But, inspired by the British government, I’m not going to let my own failings stop me from telling other people what to do.

So here are 5 ways to escape the 24-hour news cycle:

1. Set small, achievable targets: Rather than putting off starting the first task, break it up into mini goals and start ticking them off. Write 250 words then read a tweet. Redesign one webpage then check to see if anyone has resigned. Learn five words then treat yourself to a meme.
2. Don't multitask: You think you can keep working while keeping half an eye on the news? You can’t. Do 40 minutes’ work then reward/torture yourself with 20 minutes’ news coverage. Rinse and repeat until you’ve got everything done.
3. Turn off the tech: This one is obvious but is worth repeating. If at all possible try to work on pen and paper to eliminate the temptation of checking social media every two minutes. If you need to turn your computer on then only open what is strictly necessary. Having a hundred tabs open grants legitimacy to your sneaky news-checking.
4. Give yourself treats: Once you’ve achieved all the goals on your list, you can binge on the news to your heart’s content. Why not get up early, get your tasks done then sit back and watch for the rest of the day?
5. Drive to Durham: This is the master card if none of the previous tips have helped. Get in the car, turn off the radio and drive non-stop. It won’t help you get your work done but it may just cure your addiction. And while you're there, why not take a day trip to Barnard Castle?

I hope you have found this useful and informative. Tomorrow I will get my work done and leave my laptop and phone off all day. Actually, no I won’t because I need them for the tasks (and for checking my Medium stats, of course). But I promise the Portuguese literature article will be posted tomorrow! Or if not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow.

Believe it or not, this is Day 12 of my ILLUMINATION 30-Day Challenge. If you want more hypocritical advice, consider reading: