Why I went on a low information diet and never looked back
It’s the beginning of the year still and people are discussing their new year’s resolutions and new diets and fitness regimes. Most people focus on the health of the physical body but don’t pay too much attention to the mind.
Over the last few years I’ve been working on improving my mind, not just in trying to slow down the ageing, improve focus, memory and thinking but also to calm it down and give it space to just be. There are many ways in which I’ve done this and I’ll cover these in later posts but today I want to briefly discuss the low media diet.
It’s a concept I first came across with Tim Ferriss a few years ago. I thought I’d try it out and haven’t looked back since.
What is a low information diet?
A low information diet means radically decreasing the amount of information you consume from sources such as mainstream media and news sites, social media sites, TV news channels and general web surfing. How much you reduce it to is up to you but the suggestion is to go cold-turkey for about 5 days and then decide on 5mins — 1 hour per day.
The reasoning is that most news and media outlets are profit-focused and aim at getting the widest possible audience and viewership. They do this with stories and headlines that are more likely to shock and get clicks and views and thus attract readers/viewers and generate more revenue.
Furthermore, mainstream news and social media often goes broad but not deep. This means that whilst you may feel like you’re getting all the facts and a well-rounded, well-researched story, what you mostly get is just the snazzy headline and only part of the picture. I’m a true believer in well-written and well-researched journalism. It’s just hard to come by nowadays.
What does this mean for you?
Well, it means that most of what you read in the news doesn’t directly affect you, isn’t relevant to you and only gives you a partial picture. And worse, it can directly negatively impact your mood. I know that personally, I used to get wound up when reading certain things on the news. ‘Have you seen what they’re doing in (insert item here). It’s absolutely outranging. I just can’t believe it’.
It’s not very good for your mood, mental health and general well-being.
Next is the over-exposure of ‘stupid’. Whilst some ‘celebrities’ may have something useful to say, mostly what you read about on social media and the news about these people is useless information. Let them live their life and ignore it so you can get on with yours.
Don’t consume what doesn’t concern you. There’s a hell of a lot of information out there and you can quickly become overloaded. Focus in on what truly matters, dive deep into topics that directly affect and concern you, and that interest you, and ignore the rest. You don’t need every single piece of information to function in everyday life. You’ve got more important tasks to focus on that can make a real difference.
What next?
A few simple items can help you on your journey:
- Don’t follow anyone who really winds you up. It’s not worth it.
- Don’t consume media first thing in the morning or just before bed
- Delete all the media apps on your phone
- Set limits on your social media consumption. Ideally only once a day.
- Spend more time consuming long-form information such as books
- Spend more time engaging with valued people such as friends and family
Why not try it. You’ll find you’ve got a lot more time and you will still know what’s going on in the world. You will see the headlines on the papers as you commute to work and you can ask your friends and colleagues: “So, what’s going on in the world that’s important and what are your thoughts on it?”
Low information diet does not mean NO information diet. What it means is that you’ll drown out all the fluff and noise and allow yourself more time to deep dive and focus on the things that matter. And it’ll clear your mind to stop worrying about things that either don’t concern you, or you cannot change.
Now stop reading this blog and pick up a book. Or go read my post on Stoicism here: https://medium.com/@Coffee.Whisky.Barbells.and.B/01-why-im-a-stoic-and-you-should-be-too-2e317eda6536
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This article was written by Stuart Munnich. If you’d like to know more or receive notifications for future articles, please head over to the Agoge Project Website or subscribe to updates right here!
