Spring Cleaning for the Mind
A news "fast" as a leadership practice to regain perspective
Every year, I step away from the news — no headlines, no alerts, no feeds. A news “fast”. Just a full stop. It’s not about withdrawal, cynicism or burying my head in the sand. It’s about cultivating my leadership practice. Specifically, the practice of getting above the fray — what we call “getting on the balcony” in Adaptive Leadership. Here’s why I’m unplugging this time.
1. To see clearly from the balcony
Stepping back doesn’t mean stepping out. On the contrary, it’s how I widen my field of vision. News cycles deliver a torrent of urgency, but often the same emotional structures underlie them: blame, fear, polarization, certainty. Even when I think I’m resisting those narratives, they find a way in — shaping how I interpret people and events. To see more clearly, I sometimes need to stop watching altogether.
2. To spot the real challenge
Most media outlets disagree on solutions but quietly align on the framing of the problem. And that framing shapes public imagination: what’s worth our time, what counts as progress, who’s part of the story. But many vital questions never make it in — they’re too slow, too complex or too unsexy. When I fast from the news, I find myself wondering: what’s not being talked about? What’s invisible under the spotlight of controversy? That’s where the deeper, adaptive challenges often live.
3. To unclog my mental digestive system
There’s a limit to how much information I can metabolize. When I cross that threshold, my thinking clogs. I stop integrating what I take in. Instead, I accumulate fragments of analysis, opinion, outrage. A news fast gives my mind a chance to exhale — to reset, to reorient, to remember how to think rather than just react.
4. To stop mistaking concern for action
There’s a seductive illusion that staying constantly informed is the same as making a difference. It’s not. Reading about the state of the world — and even feeling intensely about it — is not the same as the perspiration of adaptive work. Lately I’ve noticed myself sliding into this trap: confusing scrolling for contribution. So I’m putting the phone down and picking the real work back up.
5. To reclaim what matters
Every time I take a news fast, something quiet reawakens. I start paying attention again to the things that don’t clamor for it — things that whisper instead of shout. The trees in my neighborhood. The unstructured moments with my kids. The conversations that have no agenda. The meals I cook with care. I remember what it feels like to be formed by the world around me, not just informed about it.
Because information doesn’t just enter us — it shapes us. And when the input is distorted, so is the form it creates.
I don’t know how long this fast will last. Last year, one month turned into six months, I so enjoyed the mental clarity. And if something world-shifting happens — from peace treaties to the AI singularity — I’m confident it’ll reach me.
In the meantime, I’m stepping back so I can lead forward. If you want to to do it too, I’d be very curious to hear about your experience. See you on the other side.