Information overload is something we all suffer with. I just want to share how filtering and controlling the information I consume has helped me. This is what’s known as the low information diet.
We have an urge to constantly feed our mind with information – some good, some bad, but the sheer information we feed our minds with causes stress.
For some reason, there’s a strange belief that the more informed and up-to-date people are more successful they are. This is bullshit.
This isn’t about being ignorant, this is about not filling your head with things you can’t do anything about. This about protecting your mind from distractions and concerns that stop us being productive.
Don’t consume what doesn’t concern you. I very rarely watch the news, because most of the time it doesn’t concern me. I know it sounds selfish, but I can’t change what’s happening in the news – so why should I consume it?
Don’t consume negativity. The majority of information reported around the world is negative – we rarely get told about the positive things happening. Negative information brings no value to your life whatsoever. If you find yourself consuming negative information from the news, websites, Facebook or anything else – stop.
Don’t let devices and apps control you. I see so many young people with a phone going off every minute; new texts, emails, tweets, snapchats etc. How much of this distraction is actually useful? Their devices are in complete control of their minds – you need to take back that control. Simon Sinek did a recent interview about millennials in the workplace where he explained that notifications from social media, text etc give us a hit of dopamine. This is the exact same chemical our brain produces when we gamble… it’s extremely addictive. Is checking your phone an addiction? If so, it’s time to take back control.
How to create a Low Information Diet filter:
- Restrict non-marketing time spent on social networking sites each day. How often do you actually feel good after going on Facebook? If this is a problem for you there’s an app I’ve found called “Stay Focussed” for Chrome which blocks Facebook usage after a set amount of time each day on it.
- Don’t ever watch shitty TV (notably daytime) shows and the news.
- Unsubscribe from annoying emails that distract you, use unroll.me to quickly mass unsubscribe your email address to clean your inbox.
- Remove any bookmarks for news sites you have.
- Turn OFF notifications on your phone that don’t concern you. The only notifications I have on my iphone are texts and calls, not anything else.
- Put your phone into silent or “do not disturb” mode regularly.
Don’t forget – you are the master of the information you consume.
