photo by jessicaflavin
I, like many people, am an information junkie. Whether it’s news, sports, or what’s happening in the technology world, I am obsessed with always being “in the know.” It seems I can’t go more than a few hours without checking my favorite news sources or checking out the hottest Twitter trend at the moment.
It’s great that we live in an era where information is so readily accessible. However, all this information causes us to waste time, increases our stress levels, and does little to improve our day-to-day lives. The constant flood of information can overwhelming to some.
I am beginning to realize the joys of going on an information diet (in large part inspired by Tim Ferris’s Low-Information Diet.) Over the last couple of weeks I have been steadily reducing my intake of worthless information, which I simply don’t need to know. This information wasn’t making me smarter nor contributing to my current priorities.
Reducing information overload is all about setting limits. Here are a few things I did to reign in how much information I was processing each day:
- I cut my RSS feeds down to 15 (plus a few friend’s blogs.) If I want to add a new feed, one must go (which is a very tough decision to make if you are disciplined about it.) My focus right now is on simplicity and productivity, so most of my feeds are on these subjects.
- I eliminated any quick access to informational sites. This included erasing bookmarks from my web browser and applications on my iPhone.
- I set limits on how often I check my informational sites. I check my news/sports sites once a day and my RSS reader every other day.
- I cut my Facebook and Twitter time back to 15-20 minutes a day. I really like both of these tools, but they are such a time-waster if they are not put in check. I un-followed a lot of people on Twitter who were not offering good content or connecting with me in some way.
Instead of a flood of information, now I’m getting it in small, controlled, drips. These changes alone have easily given me a hour back each day to do other things. I have stopped worrying about pointless drivel which I cannot change and instead focus on ways to better myself.
====
With that in mind, I have new found time to resume blogging. I stopped writing earlier this year when I realized that I was trying too hard to be an A-List blogger, putting in a C-List effort. You will also note the design change…simple is “in” and I feel this new theme conveys this.
A good friend of mine recently shared the reason for blogging, to build relationships. This struck a cord with me and is now the primary goal I have in writing. I feel writing will help keep me motivated to grow and develop. I hope over time to establish new connections with people who share similar goals and struggles, so together we can grow.
Thanks for stopping by and please don’t hesitate to reach out!
