Jonathan Capehart, 52, is a Pulitzer-prize-winning editorial writer for The Washington Post, an MSNBC contributor and substitute anchor, and host of the podcast Cape Up.
Jonathan Capehart’s days are planned . . . until they’re not. “Ever since 2016, we’ve been on a roller coaster with no lap bar,” he says. So he expects interruptions in his preferred routine, which involves a 6:00 a.m. wakeup, a dose of Morning Joe and New Day, a scroll through Twitter and feeds from the likes of Politico and Axios, then a dive into the newspapers, including The Washington Post and The New York Times. If he’s not writing, he’s nailing down his podcast or preparing for panels he’s on or moderating, speeches he’s giving, or appearances on news and talk shows. Breaking news means all bets are off. Here, his insights on how to survive the ride.
.
Give the News a Break. You Won’t Miss Much.
The best thing I did in terms of coping was to leave the country last July. I spent a month in Rome to work on a book I’ve been toying with for a while. I deleted Twitter. I only listened to music, and not once did I turn on the television. I discovered that by being completely detached, I became completely recharged. When I came back, it was like turning on All My Children if you haven’t watched it for 20 years. The story line has advanced maybe a little bit, but the characters and the themes are pretty much the same.
Recently I’ve been thinking about how I can break away to give myself some mental space. I take long walks—sometimes six to ten brisk miles—to stop paying attention to what’s going on in the news and spend more time in my head thinking, while also paying attention to where I am, and how the light is hitting the Washington Monument or the way tourists are interacting with each other.
But When You Do Tune In, Really Tune In
If I were to write the way most people read news, I’d be fired. News consumers need to do a better job. I spend a lot of time reporting things, and I have yelled at people on Twitter who react to something I’ve written just based on the tweeted headline. In the press, when we make mistakes, we’re held accountable for them. News consumers aren’t held accountable for not reading the whole story or not clicking on the links that provide a broader understanding. When I react to people on Twitter, I try to hold them accountable.
Get Just Enough Food and an Abundance of Sleep
I used to think I needed to eat a big breakfast, lunch, and dinner and be stuffed. Now it’s less about eating until I’m full; it’s eating so I’m no longer hungry. I don’t want all that food in my stomach when I go to bed, and I want enough sleep so I’m not groggy and can’t think or write.
Hang Tight
Just think of this year as one of those flights where it’s turbulent the whole time and you hope it’s not going to take much longer to get through the rough air. It’s uncomfortable, and it’s frightening, but you get through to the other side.
Source: Read Full Article