After 2008 I dropped cable. This is sometimes a hassle for sports, but otherwise it has been a boon. No more MSNBC, FOX, CNN talking head non-sense 24/7. That stuff just sucks you in and pounds you into submission, whether on political topics or "omg the world is gonna end!" type stuff.

I do still scan the headlines from news.google.com once or twice a day and only read a story if the topic is truly compelling/news worthy. This allows me to still have some clue about whats going on without the agita and time sink.