In second grade, being at the front of the line was the biggest goal in life. I think I’m still a second grader at heart. It is so easy to think that I need to stay on top of the latest book, conference, debate, news, or score. It is like competing…except there is no real winner.

One way that this shows itself is by constantly checking a certain blog, website, or news feed. This takes valuable time and squanders it, especially if your internet connection is slow.

Here are a few ways I have found, or am working on, to be more self controlled in that area:

1. Once a Day – if it works for vitamins, it can work for media
   1. I really don’t need to check the news more than once a day unless I truly want to discourage myself. Every time I do, it is like a kick in the stomach.
   2. The same goes for Facebook and Twitter. If I just wait until evening to check Facebook I can catch up on what someone had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all at the same time (since that seems so important to post for everyone to see)
2. Make someone else do your errands for you
   1. Use a blog reader such as Feedly
      1. Don’t waste time going to individual sites, have a reader that brings all the content to you. Then only check it once a day.
   2. Have blog posts sent to your email
      1. If you aren’t much on feeds and readers, have the posts sent straight to your email (Exhibit A – If you are reading this in your browser you see the signup on the right hand side. Very easy to use. If you are reading this in your email, pass Go and collect $200)
      2. I find this is helpful for a variety of reasons – I don’t have to regularly check back. I don’t forget about the blog. I keep getting the helpful posts for personal growth even when I am focusing more on survival. I can put them in a folder and read them later.
3. Just stop
   1. We all remember our mothers telling us that snacking in between meals would ruin our appetite, but we seem to forget that it is the same with media. Maybe checking some form of media every 20 minutes is ruining our appetite for real life.
   2. What would happen if you gave up a short term media avenue for a few weeks and dedicated that time to something long term. For example, what would happen if you took your 30 minutes a day you spend on Facebook and you actually read a book? At the end of two weeks you would have gotten through that book you have been meaning to read for…about…well, how long has Facebook been around?

Those are just some thoughts. What would you suggest?