5 Media Habits to Reclaim Your Attention

For three days, write down every piece of media you touch before 9am — phone, podcasts, radio, scrolling. Don't change anything yet. Most people find the same two or three apps dominate. You can't fix a habit you can't see.

Pick one hour before bed and make it screen-free for news and social. Your brain needs a runway to land. Charge your phone outside the bedroom if you can. The goal isn't deprivation — it's a clear boundary that protects your sleep and your mornings.

Unfollow or mute three accounts that make you anxious or angry. Replace them with three that publish weekly, not hourly — a newsletter, a magazine, a long-form podcast. Slower media gives you time to think before you react.

Choose four hours each week — a Saturday morning, a Sunday afternoon — with no news, no feeds, no streaming. Read a book, take a walk, cook something. Notice what you reach for out of habit. The discomfort is the data.