1/6 A very short thread from me:

So, it’s exactly 1 month since I turned 50. And here are the results of the experiment I was persuaded to try by someone very close.

• Deleted all news apps from my ‘phone.
• Stopped reading newspapers.
• Stopped watching continuous tv news.

2/6 • JamesWorldNews became JamesWorldWings (for now).
• Consume one news bulletin per day (0700 in the morning Abu Dhabi time, usually with @KimberleyeLeo World News from Sky)
• Generally reduced intake of news and “LIVE” events.
• Muted certain key news words on Twitter

3/6 • Started to exercise routinely twice a day instead of once
• Deleted 120 contacts from WhatsApp
• Started reading leadership books. Do 2-3 chapters a day. I’m now on the 4th book.
• Spend far less time grazing on the internet
• Wake early at 5am every day

4/6 Giving up (or reducing) news intake for the first time in 40 years is tough. I imagine it’s like giving up smoking. But, you know what? I feel great! There is something incredibly powerful about waking up in the morning and not knowing what’s going on anywhere in the world!

5/6 I’m lucky enough to know many “real” news presenters who will text me if something big is coming up and I can select to tune-in or not. You don’t realize how mentally and physically draining the modern digital world can be. The irony is I’m sharing this news digitally. Lol.

6/6 I’ve enjoyed rediscovering reading. And through that, I’ve realized that we don’t need the outside noise at all. I recommend it to everyone. Give yourself 30mins a day to hear what’s happening in the world. Outside of that, ignorance is bliss and lack of knowledge is power! X