You might spend all your time online watching Zoom classes, FaceTiming friends to catch up, writing essays or completing homework assignments. With so much to do in so little time, there’s hardly enough time to scroll through social media, let alone keep up with the ever-changing news. So, don’t give up sleep and stay up to date with the news with these easy ways:
- Activate the news app on your phone
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One of the easiest ways to keep up with the news is to simply activate the news app on your phone. Most phones have some app that will update you on current events from a variety of sources that seem relevant to your area and your interests. You can choose to follow specific news outlets or simply allow the app to notify you of relevant current events.
- Subscribe to email newsletters
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Most news outlets have their own email newsletters that you can subscribe to to see a general list of headlines and current events for the last day or week. The New York Times offers a Morning Briefing on weekday mornings, an Evening Briefing on weekday evenings and a Weekend Briefing on weekends to showcase the current events of the world with the option to read full articles right from your phone. Depending on how you like to receive your news, you can also check out theSkimm for a punny set of headlines and digestable stories on the daily.
- Listen to podcasts
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From NPR’s 12-15-minute Up First to the New York Times’ 20-minute The Daily, there are a lot of different podcast options out there for all sorts of schedules. You can fit podcasts into almost any part of your day, so whether you’re working out at the gym or just waking up in the morning, there is always time to stay updated.
- Follow news outlets on social media
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Social media isn’t exactly the best source of news. It is often more biased than other sources and less reliable since social media often presents a platform for everybody to share their opinions without much verification. However, if you follow national, reputable news sources on social media, you can catch up with the highlights as you scroll through Instagram in bed. Once you get a better grasp of the headlines that tend to grasp your attention, you can try following individual journalists or activists. To try to keep a well-rounded view and make sure you’re getting all sides of the story, it’s also a good idea to try to follow a variety of sources.
- Old-fashioned print news
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Sometimes the best way to catch up on the news is to read print. From magazines to newspapers, print news offers a great way to relax during the day and take a break from so much screen time. If you take a little time out of your day to catch up on the news, you’ll likely find the day’s biggest stories. Â
These are just a few ways to catch up on the news on a regular basis that fit into your normal schedule. Most of these strategies can be done from bed and don’t require you to do anything other than grab your phone. No matter how you decide to stay current on the news, it’s important to stay aware of events that are happening around you. There are ways to stay caught up on your own time, so grab your phone or a newspaper and see what you’re missing.