{"id":10014,"date":"2017-06-26T08:55:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-26T12:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alifeofproductivity.com\/?p=10014"},"modified":"2021-12-03T17:20:32","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T17:20:32","slug":"10-ways-to-do-an-information-detox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/10-ways-to-do-an-information-detox\/","title":{"rendered":"10 ways to do an information detox"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Takeaway:<\/b> You are what you pay attention to. By consuming more valuable information, you become more productive and creative. Here are 10 ways to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n

Estimated Reading Time:<\/strong> 4 minutes, 49s.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n

\"\"The information you consume over the course of the day has a significant impact on both your productivity and creativity.<\/strong> Our creativity is the sum of the dots we connect<\/a>, after all. When we deliberately consume more valuable information, we connect more valuable dots and come up with more creative ideas and solutions to problems.<\/p>\n

There’s usually an inverse correlation between the value of the information we’re consuming, and its entertainment level:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You’ll probably find an exception or two to this rule\u2014I find many academic studies more entertaining than reality TV shows, for example\u2014but most of what I consume follows this rough trend line.<\/p>\n

Not all things you consume are created equal. Some books, documentaries, and magazines will, in the long run, make you more creative and productive than others\u2014because of this, it’s worth making an effort to consume things more deliberately.<\/p>\n

Consuming information on autopilot is one of the worst things you can do for your productivity and creativity.<\/strong> Here are 10 of my favorite ways to cut back on the fluff, and consume more valuable information throughout the day. While this list may seem daunting on the surface, I don’t recommend diving in too deep\u2014if you’re anything like me, you’ll find your consumption habits are difficult to break. Start by noting what you consume throughout the week\u2014the first idea below\u2014and then choose a few other strategies to adopt!<\/p>\n

1. Capture what you consume<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Start by taking stock of the information you consume already. For one week, make a list of all the TV shows, movies, social media updates, podcasts, audiobooks, news sites, and everything else you consume\u2014both by choice and on autopilot.<\/p>\n

You may be surprised by what you find. (As just one example, the average American watches 34 hours of TV every week<\/a>. That’s almost five hours a day.)<\/p>\n

2. Eliminate the bottom 25-50%<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Take stock of what you\u2019ve consumed in that week. If you can, highlight some things to cut out completely\u2014including TV shows you passively watch, podcasts you listen to without questioning how much you actually enjoy them, and so on. While you may want to continue consuming a few of these low-return items\u2014being passively entertained can be fun in small doses\u2014cut out the other low-return information: the things you consume that don’t contribute significant value or meaning to your life. Doing this helps carve out space for more valuable information.<\/p>\n

3. Make three substitutions this week<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you don’t feel like cutting out so much, start smaller. This week, pick three low-value things to chop, and consume three higher-value things in their place. Three substitutions may seem like a minor change, but it’s a great place to start.<\/p>\n

4. Consume one thing actively<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Chances are you consume a lot of information on autopilot throughout the week\u2014including news articles and social media updates. This week, choose one thing to consume that requires active attention\u2014like a book, magazine, or conversation with a colleague.<\/p>\n

5. Turn down the noise<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some of the information we consume in autopilot just adds noise to our life, such as listening to the radio during our drive home. According to<\/a> positive psychologist Shawn Achor, something can be considered noise when it’s untimely (it can’t be acted on right away), unusable, hypothetical, or it distracts us from our goals.<\/p>\n

Cut out one thing on your list that would qualify as noise.<\/p>\n

6. See descriptions of information as pitches for your time and attention<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Your time and attention are two of the most valuable ingredients in becoming more productive and living a more meaningful life.<\/p>\n

It’s extraordinarily helpful to have the things you intend to consume pitch you for your time and attention<\/strong>. I personally see every podcast, TV show, and movie description as a pitch for my time and attention. This helps me select and consume things more consciously throughout the day.<\/p>\n

7. Say no<\/em> to three things this week<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While it’s important to take stock of what you regularly consume, it’s just as important to protect your time and attention against new information. This week, make a conscious effort to say no<\/em> to three new things you’re thinking of consuming\u2014whether that’s something as simple as resisting an article you’re tempted to click on Facebook, or something as big as a new TV show you decide not to binge-watch.<\/p>\n

8. Consider your learning style<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are three main ways we learn: visually, aurally, and kinesthetically. Knowing how you learn best will help you make more informed decisions of what to consume. For example, if you learn best by listening, it may be worth consuming audiobooks instead of reading physical books; if you\u2019re a visual learner, you may favor watching a TED talk over listening to an audiobook.<\/p>\n

9. Mind the medium<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some mediums are more productive than others. A few years back I found that all of the pointless and meaningless content I consumed originated from my TV\u2014so I got rid of my cable subscription. Eliminating this medium from my life has proven to be one of the best decisions I’ve made over the last decade: I now read two or three books a week, have much more time to write, and come up with many more creative ideas as a result. Consider what mediums you consume the most information from\u2014if you\u2019re anything like me, all of the unproductive information you consume could be coming from one or two places.<\/p>\n

10. Question the quantity<\/em> of stuff you consume<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It’s worth questioning the overall amount<\/em> of information you consume from each medium. A few months back, I found myself reading two audiobooks a week\u2014a fact I was pretty smug about<\/span> proud of. But I quickly found that I retained hardly any of the information I took in, while I could remember quite well previous audiobooks I had read.<\/p>\n

Be mindful of whether you’re consuming too much information from any one medium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How being info-selective can make you more productive and creative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10018,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n10 ways to do an information detox - Chris Bailey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How being info-selective can make you more productive and creative.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/10-ways-to-do-an-information-detox\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"10 ways to do an information detox - Chris Bailey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How being info-selective can make you more productive and creative.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/10-ways-to-do-an-information-detox\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Chris Bailey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-06-26T12:55:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-12-03T17:20:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/books-1419617-1920x1280-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris Bailey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/chris_bailey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@chris_bailey\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/10-ways-to-do-an-information-detox\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/10-ways-to-do-an-information-detox\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chris Bailey\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/#\/schema\/person\/52e99dd14925b1bfe8c1034b8d40ed70\"},\"headline\":\"10 ways to do an information detox\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-06-26T12:55:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-12-03T17:20:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/10-ways-to-do-an-information-detox\/\"},\"wordCount\":1046,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/#\/schema\/person\/52e99dd14925b1bfe8c1034b8d40ed70\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/10-ways-to-do-an-information-detox\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/books-1419617-1920x1280-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Focus\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/10-ways-to-do-an-information-detox\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/chrisbailey.com\/10-ways-to-do-an-information-detox\/\",\"name\":\"10 ways to do an information detox - 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