Get in and get out

0:03 Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is to know why you are going online and then get offline once you have done what you went online to do. Today's tip comes from Manoush Zomorodi, host of the TED Radio Hour and author of the new book, Body Electric, The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age, and the new science to reclaim your well-being. On a recent episode of the podcast Life Kit, she talked about how to avoid information overload. One strategy? She suggested that when you go on your phone or on the internet, know what you are looking for. Then once you have found it, you can get off. You are setting the

1:06 goal to get the information, she says, and once you have achieved it, stop. In other words, as the interviewer summed it up, get in and get out. I can see the benefit of this philosophy. Many of us spend a lot of aimless time online. Even if you originally had a purpose for going there, once you are there, the entirety of the internet becomes an option. And it is not a small place. So instead, say to yourself, I am going online to order tape for the label maker. Or, I am going online to set a reminder that my sister leaves for Switzerland tomorrow, so I remember to say bon voyage. Or, I'm going online to get ideas for making a deconstructed black forest cake. When you acknowledge why you are going online, whatever the reason happens to be,

2:08 it is easier to stay focused on your purpose. When you know you are looking for black forest cake recipes, you won't get sidetracked looking at recipes for other things. You are online to see what is in a black forest cake. So anything else is irrelevant. You can close your browser once you find out. When you know your exact purpose for going online, it is also easier to know when you are done. You are less likely to find yourself aimlessly scrolling. Did you order the tape for the label maker? Which was your purpose? Great. You don't need to get sucked into looking at flowerpots or calendars or whatever else the online retail site is suggesting to you.

2:58 You went online for label maker tape. You have ordered it. So your mission is complete. Get in and get out. If you are someone who tends to find yourself exploring every possible option for whatever it is you are looking for, you might find it helpful to allocate a specific amount of time to your online project. Set an alarm. Then when the timer goes off, you know it is time to wrap up. It doesn't really matter whether you got the clear label tape or the white label tape. Your financial future does not depend on whether you paid $ 4. 50 or $ 5. Just order something and be done. So the next time you are going online for something, ask yourself, why?

3:50 Make sure you are clear on your mission. If you need to, set a timer to make sure you don't get sucked into a rabbit hole. Then, once you have done what you went online to do, That is it. Get in and get out. With purposeful time-limited visits online, you will waste a lot less time. That means you will have more time to be fully present wherever you actually are. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening.

4:31 And here's to making the most of our time Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam.com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thank you.