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Jan 5

Guest Op-Ed: The New Years Noise Diet: Why You Should Cut the Empty Brain Calories in 2020 – Chelsea Record

Diets that Work Comments Off on Guest Op-Ed: The New Years Noise Diet: Why You Should Cut the Empty Brain Calories in 2020 – Chelsea Record

By Joe McCormack

If youre like most of us,you overindulged a bit too much in 2019. No, not on calories (well, maybe thosetoo!), but on noise. Thats the name for the dizzying onslaught ofinformation from work emails, app notifications, the 24/7 news cycle, socialmedia updates, and other forms of screen time that leaves us unable to focus,listen, or do deep work.

A smidgen of noise now andagain 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 acan of frosting at our desk and reaching for them every few minutes.

Too many empty braincalories wont make you fat but they will make you mentally anemic. Noise keepsyou in a constant state of distraction. And like actual junk food, a high-noisedigital diet is addictive, yet it never satisfies or nourishes you.

The real problem with givinginto noise temptation isnt what youre doing; its what youre not doing.Youre tuning out what really matters. Youre skimming the surface. When yourescrolling Facebook, for instance, you arent learning a new language, refiningthat career-changing presentation, or engaging with your kids in a meaningfulway.

The new year is the perfecttime to put yourself on a noise diet. To help with your calorie count, letstake a look at what noise junk food looks like:

The irritatingyetaddictiveparade of social media stock characters in your newsfeed. This bandof noisemakers assaults your brain with their cries for attention. Forinstance:

The humble bragger. Yourcollege rival who subtly slips into her post that she just got anotherpromotion at her swanky company. #blessed #gag

The cryptic drama-stirrer.That self-righteous friend who calls out people anonymously for perceivedslights or makes vague poor me pity posts. (Cue the wave of very concernedcommenters.)

The over-sharer. We dontneed a play-by-play of your colonoscopy. Thanks.

The drop-of-a-hat ranter. Whose day would be complete without a furiousrecounting of how the barista screwed up your nonfat, dairy-free, double-shot,decaf, extra-hot mochaccino with extra foam? The nerve!

The overly zealous kidpromoter. Yes, yes, we know Junior is the smartest, cutest, cleverest totaroundyour other 15 posts this week made that perfectly clear.

The amateur politicalpundit. Do not engagejust dont.

[emailprotected]$$ shows on TV. Youdont need to waste your precious attention span watching Jerry Springer,B-list celebrity lip-synch contests, or those morning talk shows.Substance-free television combined with the lure of a cozy couch can quicklyturn into a lost day or evening.

The 24/7 newscarousel-of-darkness. Sadly, most news is bad news, and during a controversialelection year it can also be fodder for controversy, vitriol, and the loss ofcivility with friends, family, and neighbors. (Hint: You dont need to totallydisengage, but its good to be discerning about what you let inand about howoften you engage in debates with the people in your life.)

Yourwork email. Your boss just had to email you at 9:30 p.m.again. The momentyou jump out of the bath to write back is the moment work email becomes yetanother source of noise.

Are you feeling that noisehangover settle in? Dont worry, you can kick off the new year with a differentkind of dietone that cuts the empty brain calories of digital distractionand gives you what youre really craving: a more intentional life. Join myJust Say No to Noise Movement and tip the scales in the other direction. Afew suggestions:

Try going a week withoutsocial media. (We promise, youll survive.) A short detox from social media isa pretty painless way to unplug and reclaim a lot of lost time. When the weekis over, you can see if you even want to go back to occasional scrolling.

Reduce temptation byhiding distracting devices from yourself. Okay, you probably cant hide yourcomputer but you can shut the office door. As for cell phones and tablets,treat them like what they are: gateways to digital distraction (and it is avery slippery slope). Find an out-of-the-way place to charge and store yourdevices so youre not constantly reaching for them.

Break the idiot-boxbackground noise habit. Its easy to mindlessly turn on the TV when you gethome. Problem is, its broadcasting nonstop noise into your work-free hours.Instead, plan a time to watch your favorite shows. Daily exposure to thedepressing litany of pain and conflict we call news isnt making your lifebetter. Neither is watching the Fatty McButterpants episode of King of Queensfor the 50th time. (Okay, we admit that one is pretty funny.)

Set some work/lifeboundaries with the 7-to-7 rule. The company wont crash if you stop answeringemails around the clock. After 7 p.m., put away your devices for the night.Dont pick them up again until 7 a.m.the next day.

Insist on phone-free familydinners Yes, the kids might whine at first, but soon enough theyll get usedto conversing with the out-of-touch Boomers and Karens at the table.

andscreen-free family fun days. For instance, make video games and TV completelyoff-limits every Wednesday and Friday. Yes, even if the kids swear they have nohomework. Instead, do something fun or productive as a family. Play a boardgame. Go bowling or skating. Cook a great meal together. Volunteer at the localanimal shelter. Heckmaybe even read.

Learn to save yourappetite for the stuff that really matters Your appetite is really yourattention span, and its your most precious resource. Filling up on headlines,emails, and social media means theres little left over for doing the deep andmeaningful work that helps you reach big goals at work and in your personallife. Before you cozy into an hour of lurking on your exs Facebook page, closethe laptop and find something productive to do.

and choose somemeaningful goals to pursue. When you are able to sharpen and aim your focus,you can do some pretty impressive &%$#. Want to start a website? Get abetter job? Learn to code? These North Star goals are the best incentive torethink your relationship with noise and see how your life changes.

We dont realize that veryoften our addiction to information is the thing holding us back from getting ahuge promotion, becoming valedictorian, or training for a marathon, but thatsexactly what happens as time passes. Once you think of it this way, its somuch easier to put yourself on a noise diet. Make this the year you take backyour time and use it to do something that matters.

Joseph McCormack is theauthor of NOISE: Living and Leading When Nobody Can Focus. He is passionateabout helping people gain clarity when there is so much competing for ourattention. He is a successful marketer, entrepreneur, and author. His firstbook, BRIEF: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less (Wiley, 2014), sets thestandard for concise communication.

Joe is the founder andmanaging director of The BRIEF Lab, an organization dedicated to teachingprofessionals, military leaders, and entrepreneurs how to think and communicateclearly. His clients include Boeing, Harley-Davidson, Microsoft, Mastercard,DuPont, and select military units and government agencies. He publishes aweekly podcast called Just Saying that helps people master the elusive skillsof focus and brevity.

To learn more, visitwww.noisethebook.com.

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Guest Op-Ed: The New Years Noise Diet: Why You Should Cut the Empty Brain Calories in 2020 - Chelsea Record

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