What Matters What Doesn’t And Low Information Diet

Everything in life can be divided into two things:

a.) What Matters      

b.) What Doesn’t Matter

Most people are either constantly haggling between the two which leads to an unsatisfying life. While there’s another species of human being that is busy doing absolutely nothing.

You see people frowning upon everything be it work, commute, relationships, about what someone else is doing. But are these things really worth stressing about?

What doesn’t matter – Things, material possessions, false ego and garbage information.

What matters the most – People, relationships, being aware of yourself and the world.

Put a line between what matters and what doesn’t. Boom! You just simplified your life.

Information Overload

Do you really want to wake up for this? 

Or this ?

Does any of it matters?

You click and you read it till end, click after click and 60 expensive minutes of your time has passed. You feel guilty but the guilt doesn’t last as you get busy doing another nothing; while your mother, son or wife is shouting at your head to keep that phone down.

People are suffering from information overload. There’s lots of crap around that you are now exposed to because of how technology has evolved. 

Information consumes your attention. And a surplus of information creates a scarcity of attention to things that actually matter. Don’t fool yourself over consuming useless crap.

“WHAT’S TRENDING?”

Suddenly everyone wants to know what everyone else is doing on Facebook/Twitter/Snapchat. We have basically started feeding on information.

You start your day with your mobile phone in your hands lounging on your toilet seat reading news or checking on your social media, then you move to newspapers, magazines, television, ipad, laptop, etc, etc, etc.

It doesn’t end here: Information overload spreads like zombie virus. If one person is suffering from information overload, they tend to pass it on to everyone they know. *Bite*Bite*Bite

What does extra calories do to your body? You get fat. Now I leave it to you to decide what information overload can do to you mind.

Information is power ✘

Knowledge is power ✓

Don’t confuse information with knowledge. Knowledge is information of value.

Low Information Diet

Choose specific facts or sources of information that you wish to know about. Block everything else. Period!

Opt-out from everything that doesn’t serve you, be it television, newspaper or people.

Why do you watch the news? How does it improve your life? Does it help you in acquiring any skill?

In most cases the answer is no. No news is good news. Why expose your brain to crap? Your memory bank has a limited space so why let anyone poo on it?

I don’t read news. I’ve unfollowed/blocked pages, people that don’t matter. I do not watch television except of course Game of Thrones. I only watch a movie after I check it’s meta score rating on IMDB.

Ignore all information that is irrelevant and unimportant.

DELETE

DISENGAGE

DISCONTINUE

REJECT

BLACKLIST

AVOID

OSTRACIZE

OPT-OUT

Don’t worry, you won’t miss anything important. Nothing is that important. Fight the information impulse.

I read a lot of books. Books that are relevant to my goals. I feast on blog posts, audio books, podcasts, online courses related to subjects that interest me.

There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don’t try to keep up with everything that’s going around. Things that you have no control over, people that don’t matter or you won’t ever see.

People complain 24 hours is a short time in a day. Unfollow everything that isn’t serving you, set a goal and see how much more you can get done in 24 hours.

Busy is a primary excuse I hear from lazy bums for not being able to hit the weight room.

Don’t have a goal? Now that you have a couple of more hours everyday, get involved in activities of your interests. Who knows what you might stumble across?

Life without news is like the earthy scent after a rain. It allows me to be more present and aware of everything that’s going on around.

De-clutter

Cluttered brain is a phenomenon. You don’t create anything, you accomplish nothing yet it leaves you mentally exhausted.

De-cluttering is like clearing your browser’s cache memory. Doesn’t take much time to make room for other new and important things.

Digital de-clutter – I’m a bit aggressive with my approach. I delete pictures that don’t matter; I delete songs that I get bored of, even the favorites. I delete the movies after I watch them. I delete phone numbers. I’m not sentimental and I don’t feel attached to things.

I don’t clutter my desk, my drawer, my hard disk. Likewise I treat my brain.

Of course there are exceptions like Troy, Two and a Half Men. I can watch Charlie and Achilles a hundred times and not get bored.

Doesn’t it feel good when you clear your desk, inbox, cupboards or when you give away the clothes that you don’t wear, of getting free of the unwanted stuff?

I don’t play Xbox, I don’t watch football, I don’t watch cricket(which is yet another religion in India.) I don’t care about any of it.

A few days ago, I exchanged a couple of emails with a journalist who had some questions regarding Peru. Her name sounded familiar. So I asked her if she’s famous after letting her know that I practice selective ignorance.

She modestly replied that she had been writing for 30 years and her byline is popular. Turned out she was a high status celebrity reporter with one of the biggest newspaper in India.

Here’s what she said about selective ignorance: 

“And selective ignorance is a very good idea! There is too much information clutter”

I care about myself, my store, I care about what I eat and what I drink, I care about those dear to me, I care about the hungry, I care about my every day.

I read self help, marketing, sales, entrepreneurial stuff. People watching is another thing I enjoy.

I have no idea about the current affairs. I don’t know where the last bomb was dropped or who said what. I’m never mad. I’m never upset.

The TV I own is a small one 22” and I hardly turn it on. Oh there’s one more it’s a big one 42”, I installed it at my store for my employees.

A few might not agree with my approach towards life. Well, there are many others like me and it’s yet another way to live. Keep an open mind that’s the key!

One situation that I frequently ran into earlier was when people tried to feed me with Garbage information. I felt like running away but I always ended up getting tortured.

Set Limits – Let them know… you don’t have to be apologetic or rude. It’s just a matter of interest those who don’t respect yours are to be cut off. Garbage information is different from regular chit chat.

Set Targets – As you define your objectives, especially that one critical goal, you’d automatically ignore things that come in between.

Unless you have a set target, everything seems important and requires action. No one important ever called from an unknown number, don’t receive that call treat it like an interruption.

Imagine just by being ignorant presents you a great opportunity to focus on what’s important. Sounds like a fair deal to me!

Cherry on the cake #Irony

You get to choose everything. If scrolling down on Buzzfeed is of your interest, become a member of the Buzzfeeds moderation team.

Your brain is your citadel and you get to choose what goes in. Focus on being productive rather than busy.

Opt in to what matters and Opt-out from what doesn’t matter. Put yourself on a low-information diet.

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Good luck and have a nice day,

Shobhit