By Joe McCormack
If youre like most of us, you overindulgeda bit too much in 2019. No, not on calories (well, maybe those too!), but onnoise. Thats the name for the dizzying onslaught of information from workemails, app notifications, the 24/7 news cycle, social media updates, and otherforms of screen time that leaves us unable to focus, listen, or do deep work.
A smidgen of noise now and again is okay.(We all have our guilty pleasures!) But consuming it mindlessly, all day long,is as bad as keeping a bag of chips, a monster-size soda, and a can of frostingat our desk and reaching for them every few minutes.
Too many empty brain calories wont make youfat but they will make you mentally anemic. Noise keeps you in a constant stateof distraction. And like actual junk food, a high-noise digital diet isaddictive, yet it never satisfies or nourishes you.
The real problem with giving into noisetemptation isnt what youre doing; its what youre not doing. Youre tuningout what really matters. Youre skimming the surface. When youre scrollingFacebook, for instance, you arent learning a new language, refining thatcareer-changing presentation, or engaging with your kids in a meaningful way.
The new year is the perfect time to putyourself on a noise diet. To help with your calorie count, lets take a look atwhat noise junk food looks like:
The irritatingyet addictiveparade ofsocial media stock characters in your newsfeed. This band of noisemakersassaults your brain with their cries for attention. For instance:
The humble bragger. Your college rival whosubtly slips into her post that she just got another promotion at her swankycompany. #blessed #gag
The cryptic drama-stirrer. Thatself-righteous friend who calls out people anonymously for perceived slights ormakes vague poor me pity posts. (Cue the wave of very concerned commenters.)
The over-sharer. We dont need aplay-by-play of your colonoscopy. Thanks.
The drop-of-a-hat ranter. Whose day wouldbe complete without a furious recounting of how the barista screwed up yournonfat, dairy-free, double-shot, decaf, extra-hot mochaccino with extra foam?The nerve!
The overly zealous kid promoter. Yes, yes,we know Junior is the smartest, cutest, cleverest tot aroundyour other 15posts this week made that perfectly clear.
The amateur political pundit. Do notengagejust dont.
[emailprotected]$$ shows on TV. You dont need to wasteyour precious attention span watching Jerry Springer, B-list celebritylip-synch contests, or those morning talk shows. Substance-free televisioncombined with the lure of a cozy couch can quickly turn into a lost day orevening.
The 24/7 news carousel-of-darkness. Sadly,most news is bad news, and during a controversial election year it can also befodder for controversy, vitriol, and the loss of civility with friends, family,and neighbors. (Hint: You dont need to totally disengage, but its good to bediscerning about what you let inand about how often you engage in debates withthe people in your life.)
Your work email. Your boss just had to emailyou at 9:30 p.m.again. The moment you jump out of the bath to write back isthe moment work email becomes yet another source of noise.
Are you feeling that noise hangover settlein? Dont worry, you can kick off the new year with a different kind ofdietone that cuts the empty brain calories of digital distraction and givesyou what youre really craving: a more intentional life. Join my Just Say Noto Noise Movement and tip the scales in the other direction. A fewsuggestions:
Try going a week without social media. (Wepromise, youll survive.) A short detox from social media is a pretty painlessway to unplug and reclaim a lot of lost time. When the week is over, you cansee if you even want to go back to occasional scrolling.
Reduce temptation by hiding distractingdevices from yourself. Okay, you probably cant hide your computer but you canshut the office door. As for cell phones and tablets, treat them like what theyare: gateways to digital distraction (and it is a very slippery slope). Find anout-of-the-way place to charge and store your devices so youre not constantlyreaching for them.
Break the idiot-box background noisehabit. Its easy to mindlessly turn on the TV when you get home. Problem is,its broadcasting nonstop noise into your work-free hours. Instead, plan a timeto watch your favorite shows. Daily exposure to the depressing litany of painand conflict we call news isnt making your life better. Neither is watchingthe Fatty McButterpants episode of King of Queens for the 50th time. (Okay,we admit that one is pretty funny.)
Set some work/life boundaries with the7-to-7 rule. The company wont crash if you stop answering emails around theclock. After 7 p.m., put away your devices for the night. Dont pick them upagain until 7 a.m. the next day.
Insist on phone-free family dinners Yes,the kids might whine at first, but soon enough theyll get used to conversingwith the out-of-touch Boomers and Karens at the table.
and screen-free family fun days. Forinstance, make video games and TV completely off-limits every Wednesday andFriday. Yes, even if the kids swear they have no homework. Instead, dosomething fun or productive as a family. Play a board game. Go bowling orskating. Cook a great meal together. Volunteer at the local animal shelter.Heckmaybe even read.
Learn to save your appetite for the stuff thatreally matters Your appetite is really your attention span, and its yourmost precious resource. Filling up on headlines, emails, and social media meanstheres little left over for doing the deep and meaningful work that helps youreach big goals at work and in your personal life. Before you cozy into an hourof lurking on your exs Facebook page, close the laptop and find somethingproductive to do.
and choose some meaningful goals topursue. When you are able to sharpen and aim your focus, you can do some prettyimpressive &%$#. Want to start a website? Get a better job? Learn to code?These North Star goals are the best incentive to rethink your relationshipwith noise and see how your life changes.
We dont realize that very often our addictionto information is the thing holding us back from getting a huge promotion,becoming valedictorian, or training for a marathon, but thats exactly whathappens as time passes. Once you think of it this way, its so much easier toput yourself on a noise diet. Make this the year you take back your time anduse it to do something that matters.
JosephMcCormack is the author of NOISE: Living and Leading When Nobody Can Focus. Heis passionate about helping people gain clarity when there is so much competingfor our attention. He is a successful marketer, entrepreneur, and author. Hisfirst book, BRIEF: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less (Wiley, 2014), sets thestandard for concise communication.
Joe is the founder and managing director ofThe BRIEF Lab, an organization dedicated to teaching professionals, militaryleaders, and entrepreneurs how to think and communicate clearly. His clientsinclude Boeing, Harley-Davidson, Microsoft, Mastercard, DuPont, and selectmilitary units and government agencies. He publishes a weekly podcast calledJust Saying that helps people master the elusive skills of focus and brevity.
To learn more, visit http://www.noisethebook.com.
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Guest Op-Ed: The New Years Noise Diet: Why You Should Cut the Empty Brain Calories in 2020 - Charlestown Patriot Bridge
