The Information Diet
Information, it is everywhere. I can’t escape its intoxicating pull each time I come across an interesting article or news topic. The problem is that I consume too much of it. I am bloated and lethargic from “eating” too much of it. Our digital society has many pitfalls.
Our obesity rates are rising; attention spans are shortening and our ability to think is diminishing. Visit with any school teacher and they will tell you today’s kids are wired differently.
The constant barrage of electronic stimulus has re-wired brains. It has caused a permanent shift in thought processes and patterns. One of the greatest problems arising from information overload is the inability to think for ourselves. Most people accept at face value the information they consume. They fail to consider its validity or value.
They don’t think beyond the words on the screen. Information is like food. Consume too much Twinkie information (information that looks good but has no real value) and your mind begins to bloat and slow down.
Consuming good information causes you to think, stimulates brain activity and sharpens focus. Our brains must find ways to filter all the information we are force-feeding them or they will go into overload and shut down.
Like a muscle, the brain needs exercise to continue to function at a peak state. Feeding our brain nothing but junk food is a recipe for disaster. An interesting way to see how much exercise your brain is getting is to create an information consumption log.
The information consumption log functions like a diet plan. It helps you track the information you consume in a day. For example, a typical day may look like this: 60 minutes reading emails, 45 minutes reading blogs or newspapers, 30 minutes Googling information and 120 minutes on social media.
I challenge you to spend a couple of days filling out an information log and see what your consumption patterns look like. The results will surprise you. To overcome the overload an information diet is necessary.
Like food, being selective in what you consume is key to maintaining a healthy brain and being able to think again. Here are some steps you can take to make sure you have a good information diet.
First, cut back on email and instant messaging. Both are distractions filled with worthless information that interrupt thinking and flow. Using an email filter to pre-sort your email will help prioritize your inbox.
This allows you to address critical stuff without having to wade through the nonsense. Cutting back on instant messaging will improve your productivity immediately.
Second, set aside specific times to read new information. Rather than frequently checking news feeds or social media updates, set up specific times of the day to check in. Limiting the time for these information breaks will keep you on task for the day.
Lastly, decide what information is important to you and what the best sources are. Rather than eating at the buffet table of information each day, be more selective about your intake.
Pick the information sources that are the most valuable and stick to those. Brainpower is a limited resource and consuming too much information wastes a lot of the brain’s energy. Going on an information diet improves decision-making and thinking abilities.
It will also give you energy for important things. Go ahead, give it a try, you have nothing but a few brain cells to lose.
Source | https://idahostatejournal.com/
Regards
Mr. Pralhad Jadhav
Master of Library & Information Science (NET Qualified)
Senior Manager @ Knowledge Repository
Khaitan & Co
Twitter Handle | @Pralhad161978
Mobile @ 9665911593
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