Our grandparents read the daily newspaper.
We consume the equivalent of 174 newspapers worth of information each day.
They saw a handful of ads a day.
We're bombarded with 50,000 brand exposures daily.
They didn’t have mobile phones.
We spend on average 3.5 hours a day on ours.
They could only watch one episode of a TV show per week.
We can watch a full season in a weekend.
There has been a seismic shift in the amount of information we consume.
While our computers have grown in processing power and memory size, our minds have stayed the same.
So, what are the consequences?
The dark side of unlimited access
Having the world’s information at your fingertips is a super power.
Being able to recall any fact you want, read the musings of the world’s greatest thinkers, watch to your heart’s content, follow your favourite sports people, celebrities and old friends. The list is as broad as the imagination.
Unlimited access to anything is awesome.
But there’s always a catch. And a less obvious dark side.
At first it’s out of sight, until it sneaks up on us.
Unlimited comes with two major problems: volume (too much stuff) and quality (some bad stuff).
Think about the last time you went to a hotel breakfast buffet and ate a perfectly portioned and nutritious meal. If you’ve managed that, you’re a stronger person than I am!
Similarly, unlimited information means we consume too much, and often too much of the wrong stuff.
All that we read, watch, hear and talk about needs to be processed somewhere.
And that place, is the space between our ears. Our minds.
But this causes some modern day problems.
The sheer volume means there isn’t space for more.
A mixed bag of useful and useless information overloads us with the unnecessary.
The symptoms of a world that hasn’t quite thought this through is bubbling up all around us. Consider that:
Our attention spans are half of what they were a decade ago (American Psychological Association)
25% of people now suffer from a major mental illness (Mind: Mental Health Facts & Statistics, 2023)
We are seeing record highs of exhaustion, burnout and sick days from work (ONS, 2023).
Now, I’m no scientist, but these drastic shifts have to have come from somewhere and be driven by something.
I’m all ears for any other theories, but mine is that the sheer volume of what’s coming into our minds is something we weren’t prepared for, and haven’t built up the relevant filters and defences to be able to cope with them.
When your mind is used to scrolling through 30 different contexts before you get out of bed, of course you can’t pay attention in a meeting for an hour.
When your mind is constantly interpreting the opinions of the world, of course you’re going to feel more overwhelmed and stressed.
When your mental cup is full, of course additional pressure at work is going to tip you over the edge.
To win in the modern world, we need to be more conscious of what information we consume.
There are many subsets of this problem which I won’t dive into for the sake of single mindedness.
Let’s just say that our minds are impacted by the volume and quality of the information we consume.
A framework for conquering consumption
I’d like to suggest that our approach to consumption should be similar to our approach to grocery shopping.
If we don’t have a plan of what we want to eat, and a list of what we’d like to buy, and we simply arrive at the shops hungry, we pile our trolley’s full.
If we don’t consider what information we wish to let in, then we’re relinquishing that decision to the will of the world.
And that’s a really difficult place from which to cultivate a mental space of your choosing.
This isn’t about moving to the mountains and living in a cave.
It’s about freeing our minds to focus on what is most beneficial to us.
If we absorb books, podcasts, articles and content that are aligned to our vision of where we want to go, it can propel us forward.
Allowing the algorithm to decide that for us often has the exact opposite effect.
The algorithm isn’t going to build your career or your business.
Why let it decide what goes into your mind?
Your mind is the place where information gets turned into inspirations, insights, stimulus for your ideas, your conversations, your points of view.
When used appropriately, it can totally transform our lives.
So, here’s a simple 3-step framework for how we might address the volume and quality challenge that unlimited information presents.
STEP 1:
Once we’ve been through that process, we should have culled 50% of what no longer serves us.
The discipline to make the tough calls is where things matter most.
This tackles the volume and quality of what’s currently in our world.
But it’s not enough. Time for step 2.
STEP 2:
We all have our limits. Find yours. Test and learn what makes you feel best.
STEP 3:
While bringing greater curation and limitation to what we consume goes a long way to filtering things out, we all have periods where work and life make more consumption than we’d like an unavoidable reality.
This is where isolation comes in.
It’s one of the most powerful tools used by some of the world’s most remarkable people.
I love how Yuval Noah Hariri explained on The Diary Of A CEO how he practices an information diet every year, which includes up to 60 days of information fasting, with no input at all. He says it gives him the perspective to write the iconic books he does.
When it comes to isolation practice, we all need to find the rhythm that works for us.
When you feel like you need a break, you do.
A way forward
We need to reclaim our minds.
You can’t expect to be clear, inspired and energised when your mind is a dumping ground for the world’s information.
Read consciously, listen choice-fully, watch intentionally.
Most people won’t be willing to do it, because it’s hard.
So, it’s a free competitive advantage.
Get ahead just by being more disciplined in what you consume.
Clear out the trash, curate your inputs, set your limits, find isolation and choose what gets your precious attention.
This is the place from which we can create at our best.
Now wouldn’t that be a wonderful world.
Until next month,
Faheem
P.S. If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend.
Extremely good suggestions,but will require a lot of discipline .Information on hold! Life gets in the way trying to sort it out (neutral,negative and positive)Exellent article never the less.Will look forward eagerly to the next month’s observations.