Uploaded September 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
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I check the news a lot. It’s a habit I feel has spiraled out of control.
If I really got something out of it, I wouldn’t be making this video. But I don’t. It’s the opposite. In a brief moment of mental clarity, I ask myself: Why am I reading this? Why do I need to know this?
The obvious answer is: to stay informed about what’s going on in the world! What if I miss something important?
But that answer is flawed. What you see on the news is not an accurate representation of the current state of the world. How could it be? That would be boring...
I get it. Bad news sells. According to recent statistics, right here right now is literally the best time we could possibly be alive. Yet, from watching the news, I consistently get the impression that the world is doomed or on the verge of ending.
And I’ve noticed it distracts me from doing what I really care about. Working on my business, trying to make sense of life, deep work.
In his book ‘Indistractable’, Nir Eyal writes that the opposite of distraction is ‘traction’, which he defines as “any action that moves you toward what you really want.”
When I think of it that way, what I should be doing is so clear…
Resources mentioned in video:
• Global child mortality decreased from 36% in 1900 to 4% in 2017: ourworldindata.org/child-mortality#child-mortality-around-the-world-since-1800
• Author A.J. Jacobs on surgery without anesthesia: https://tim.blog/2018/11/08/the-tim-ferriss-show-transcripts-a-j-jacobs-344/
• Buena Vista Social Club: buenavistasocialclub.com
• Nir Eyal - Indistractable: amazon.com/Indistractable-Control-Your-Attention-Choose/dp/1526610205
• Self Control: selfcontrolapp.com
– WHAT TO WATCH NEXT? –
I Quit Watching The News (2-Month Update): youtube.com/shorts/MLAmu1NyZBE
– LINKS –
📚 Interesting books to read:
• Stoicism For Beginners: https://a.co/d/hPU8GTX
• Minimalism 101: https://a.co/d/bJkA6Lt
• Declutter Your Life: https://a.co/d/carqttB
DISCLAIMER: Some of the links are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
• 📝 Sign up for my newsletter: petercook.myflodesk.com/newsletter
• ☕️ Buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/petercook
I check the news a lot. It’s a habit I feel has spiraled out of control.
If I really got something out of it, I wouldn’t be making this video. But I don’t. It’s the opposite. In a brief moment of mental clarity, I ask myself: Why am I reading this? Why do I need to know this?
The obvious answer is: to stay informed about what’s going on in the world! What if I miss something important?
But that answer is flawed. What you see on the news is not an accurate representation of the current state of the world. How could it be? That would be boring...
I get it. Bad news sells. According to recent statistics, right here right now is literally the best time we could possibly be alive. Yet, from watching the news, I consistently get the impression that the world is doomed or on the verge of ending.
And I’ve noticed it distracts me from doing what I really care about. Working on my business, trying to make sense of life, deep work.
In his book ‘Indistractable’, Nir Eyal writes that the opposite of distraction is ‘traction’, which he defines as “any action that moves you toward what you really want.”
When I think of it that way, what I should be doing is so clear…
Resources mentioned in video:
• Global child mortality decreased from 36% in 1900 to 4% in 2017: ourworldindata.org/child-mortality#child-mortality-around-the-world-since-1800
• Author A.J. Jacobs on surgery without anesthesia: https://tim.blog/2018/11/08/the-tim-ferriss-show-transcripts-a-j-jacobs-344/
• Buena Vista Social Club: buenavistasocialclub.com
• Nir Eyal - Indistractable: amazon.com/Indistractable-Control-Your-Attention-Choose/dp/1526610205
• Self Control: selfcontrolapp.com
– WHAT TO WATCH NEXT? –
I Quit Watching The News (2-Month Update): youtube.com/shorts/MLAmu1NyZBE
– LINKS –
📚 Interesting books to read:
• Stoicism For Beginners: https://a.co/d/hPU8GTX
• Minimalism 101: https://a.co/d/bJkA6Lt
• Declutter Your Life: https://a.co/d/carqttB
DISCLAIMER: Some of the links are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
