Practicing Intentional Ignorance To Subdue Information Overload!
By Perry Rearick, Chief Editor, Follow Your Buyer
I recently tuned into a morning network news program. My expectations were that I might get caught-up on some important topics in the world.
I was bombarded with shopping tips, family meal recipes, the rainy weather in NYC (I live in Colorado), an interview with someone who was angry about something, the rise in distracted driving, and Beyonce’s new film release. The segment concluded with a psychologist speaking about how mental health can be improved by unplugging. So, I followed her advice and turned the program off.
We live in an endemic state of information overload. According to certified goal success coach Juliet Dreamhunter, the average worker experiences 15 interruptions for each hour they work. We check our phones 325 times per day and 30 minutes of uninterrupted time at work is beyond our reach. Interruptions come at us in a variety of forms: checking text messages, chat spaces, emails, unexpected calls, unplanned meetings, and, yes, our co-workers wanting to talk about the most recent episode of the Golden Bachelor.
To be more successful and productive, there are gigabytes of more information to help us focus better. But does it help? What if we were more intentional about ignoring much of the information coming our way? That’s what the Stoic philosophers believed and practiced in the 3rd Century BC, and they didn’t have to contend with today’s technology and the amount of information that consumes us daily.
Ignorance does not refer to one’s stupidity, it means not knowing or lack of information. To be intentionally ignorant according to the Stoics is to be more selective in the information we choose to consume. Shutting out information that we believe doesn’t offer value is not a sign of weakness, but rather strength and discipline.
So, toss the FOMO aside! Is learning about what some self-absorbed pseudo celebrity eats for breakfast really helping you?
If our bodies are what we eat, then our minds are comprised of the information we consume each day. Put your daily pipeline of information under a microscope and spend some time improving your mental diet.