Top 3 signs that you need to go on a diet.

The summer heat in New Orleans can be especially brutal. It's understandable that we feel a little mentally wilted this time of year. So a couple weeks ago it wasn't at all surprising that I felt a little run down and mentally wilted myself.

Oddly, I discovered that the heat wasn't the only cause for my funky frame of mind. I found relief from an unexpected source.

Before I share my story, it's interesting to see what other entrepreneurs feel are the top things slowing them down and hampering their businesses' success.

Three answers consistently rank at the top of the list when small business owners are asked; what is the biggest issue holding you and your business back?

• I'm too stressed and I feel overwhelmed.
• I don't have enough time or hours in the day to get things done.
• I lack focus and concentration.

I tend to side with the latter but certainly can relate to all three.

A couple weeks back I felt a bit frustrated about nothing in particular. My mind was hazy and unusually out of focus. It was as if I had a weight in the back of my mind slowing me down.

I was in a mental funk.

I passed it off as summertime malaise. Lord knows the heat of a New Orleans summer can sap the life out of anything.

One evening, while I was watching the Eye Witness local news, I literally felt that weight in my mind get heavier and heavier.

Then in a snap, the light bulb went off.  I realized what was causing my mental funk and it wasn't the heat.

I realized I was suffering from a bad case of information overload-Something I've come to refer to as a Bad News Hangover.

I had been bombarded with too much disappointing local politics, too much sinking economy, too much about low oil reserves, too much war, and way too much about high gas prices...too much information about things completely outside of my control.

Once I knew the source, the cure was easy.

I prescribed myself something drastic...A complete "news" detox, followed by a big time information diet.

I cut all news media. Cold turkey.

What followed was a nearly immediate and dramatic mental turnaround. I felt lighter and in better spirits within days

Like magic: less stress, more time and sharper focus.

The strange thing is I have not missed a thing. Friends, family and even strangers keep me abreast of what's happening in the world. Someone is always happy to volunteer the colorful details.

Your Bad News Hangover can drift away like magic too.

Here's your Work Smart challenge.  Cut all news, newspapers, talk radio, CNN, Fox, CNBC, websites, blogs, and all your other news sources out of your diet for one week (two weeks would be even better).

I guarantee you will feel many times lighter than you do now.

After your one to two week information fast, try this little experiment. Read the Sunday paper; watch the local news, CNN or Fox. Like a fog, The Bad News Hangover will creep back in.

Try to be strict with yourself when it comes to your new media detox. You can be prescribed the medicine, but you have to be the one to take it.

You will not regret it.