Information Diet: Cutting Mental Noise by 80%

Just as junk food makes your body sluggish, junk information makes your mind sluggish. An information diet helps you consume only what nourishes your thinking and decision-making.

The Information Obesity Problem

We're consuming 5x more information daily than in 1986, but making decisions slower and with less confidence.

Symptoms of Information Overload:

• Decision paralysis
• Constant mental switching
• FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
• Reduced deep thinking time
• Anxiety from staying "informed"

The Three-Filter System

Filter 1: Relevance Test

Question: "Will this information help me make a better decision or take better action in the next 30 days?"

If no, skip it.

Filter 2: Source Quality

Criteria:

• Primary sources over commentary
• Data over opinions
• Depth over breadth
• Timeless principles over trending topics

Filter 3: Signal-to-Noise Ratio

High Signal: Books, research papers, expert analysis

Low Signal: Social media feeds, news commentary, gossip

Information Architecture

The Just-in-Time Learning Approach

Learn information when you need to apply it, not when it's available.

Information Categories:

1. Need to Know: Directly impacts your decisions/actions
2. Nice to Know: Interesting but not actionable
3. Don't Need to Know: Entertainment disguised as information

Practical Implementation

Morning Information Routine

• Check only actionable information sources
• Time-box news consumption (15 minutes max)
• Focus on your field/interests first

Social Media Diet

• Unfollow accounts that don't add value
• Use lists/filters to curate feeds
• Schedule specific times for social media
• Remove apps from phone home screen

News Consumption Strategy

• Weekly news summaries over daily updates
• Focus on trends, not events
• Choose 2-3 high-quality sources
• Avoid breaking news alerts

The Compound Effect

Mental Clarity

Reduced information intake leads to clearer thinking and better focus.

Decision Speed

Less information overwhelm means faster, more confident decisions.

Deeper Learning

Time saved from low-value information can be invested in high-value learning.

Common Objections

"But I'll Miss Important Things"

Truly important information finds its way to you through multiple channels.

"I Need to Stay Informed"

Being informed ≠ being constantly updated. Quality beats quantity.

"What About Serendipity?"

Curated high-quality sources provide better serendipitous discoveries than random feeds.

"Information is only as valuable as the decisions it helps you make and the actions it helps you take."