7 Great Options for Staying Informed and Entertained  

Every day, we are inundated with information from our phones, our televisions, and our computers.  Our inboxes are stuffed, our texts streams are constant, and we live in a 24-hour news cycle.  We don’t have the time to consume every piece that comes our way, so we end up catching bits of news on the fly.

However, there are a few great ways to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.  We can take steps to better curate our news and entertainment, relying on a few key providers to give us the best summaries in the most easy to read, portable formats.  Following are a few favorites: 

Staying on Top of Daily Events

The Skimm is a free e-mail newsletter, sent Monday thru Friday to millions of subscribers.  It contains a list of the top news headlines with brief, easy-to-read summaries. The information isn’t slanted toward one political party like many news outlets, but instead gives you an impartial snapshot of what’s going on in the world.  The summaries range from serious topics like violence in the Middle East to lighter entertainment news. Where else can you find out that Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart are getting their own cooking show, while also reading that Donald Trump unveiled his new economic plan?

The same people behind The Skimm also offer a subscription-based app that keeps you informed about upcoming events, like the State of the Union address and hard-to-get concert tickets, and it costs only $2.99/month.

If you prefer to get your news in an audio format, there are excellent podcasts available for download on the go.  NPR’s Hourly News Summary offers a five-minute podcast every hour, with a quick hit of the most recent events in the world.  If you prefer a more in-depth view, PBS News Hour provides an audio form of its nightly broadcast.  Either of these options is great to have during your commute or while working out, so you stay in the know.

When You’re in the Mood for Something Lighter…

For more light-hearted content, Texas-based blogger Melanie Shankle has a regular feature on her blog called Fashion Friday. Reading her posts each week is a great way to stay on top of fashion trends for real women. In her posts, she lists several pieces, ranging from jewelry to tops, to her new favorite jeans, most of which are affordable and available online.

If you’re looking for an app, BJ Novak – famous for his role as Ryan Howard on The Office and as Mindy Kaling’s BFF – is one of the co-founders of The List App.  After you download the app and sign up, you can follow other users, including celebrities like BJ and Lena Dunham.  Some of the lists are serious, some are hilarious, and all are entertaining. Andy Cohen’s, for instance, includes “Things I am scared to admit publicly” and “Things that are not irritating about Soul Cycle,” while Mindy Kaling shares “Men you would *like* to kiss on The Mindy Project.”  This is a great way to get an amusing glimpse into the thoughts of your favorite celebrities and friends, and the brief format of the lists allows for easy consumption when you’re running short on time.

Lastly, the team of bloggers at Cup of Jo publishes an excellent list of links to various topics every Friday, under their “Have a Great Weekend” headline. The content ranges from funny to fascinating, and sometimes tender. You’ll find links to cool new products, but also to beautifully created visuals like this one explaining why Simone Biles is a world-class gymnast.  Reading this post every Friday guarantees you’ll have at least one interesting topic of conversation when you go to your weekend parties.

These are just a few of the great individuals and businesses curating content in easy-to-access formats. If you poll your group of close friends, you’ll likely find more apps and sites that pull together information from many different sources into clear, meaningful ways. Now is a great time to take stock of your media consumption, to see if you can meet all of your informational and entertainment needs in a shorter list of sources, therefore freeing up your time (and mind!) to focus on living your life.