Are you an information junkie? Has your phone taken over your life? In this post, we’ll give you the tools to break free from the information habit and get back to living.
When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone back in 1876, he had no clue as to how much his idea would evolve. From “transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically,” to influencing, informing and measuring literally every aspect of our lives.
The innovation is remarkable, but it’s come at a price. We’re now hooked on our phones and the constant stimulation it provides. We’ve developed an addiction to information that’s hard to quit, despite the adverse consequences to our mental health.
Bell would have been in awe of what the phone has become, but there’s no doubt he would be equally concerned about the health of the nation.
Are you an info junkie?
We’ve all become information junkie’s to some degree due to the nature of the modern world, but some people are definitely worse than others.
If you’ve started to experience the negative side effects, such as anxiety, poor concentration, brain fog, lethargy and sleeplessness, it might be time for a reset.
You’ll have a rough idea of your information habits already, so here’s a few simple questions to help bring more clarity:
- What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
- What do you do in the quiet moments during the day?
- Do you have all the notifications set to on?
- Is your phone beside you at all times, day and night?
- Do you want to be constantly up to date?
- Do you fear you’ll miss out on something?
- Do you feel the need to respond to everything immediately?
- Do you pick up your phone whenever you feel bored or anxious?
- Are you in need of constant stimulation?
- How many hours do you spend consuming information each day?
- How much of it is news, sports, entertainment, education or communication?
- Is it the hit of dopamine you’re after, or the information itself?
- Do you consume information passively?
- How well do you organise the information?
- Do you act on any of the information you consume?
- Can you concentrate on work without firing up your browser/picking up your phone?
- Do you struggle to sit in silence for any length of time?
- How would you feel going a whole day without your phone? A week?
Maybe it’s not as bad as you think, or maybe things have gotten way out of control, either way here’s some practical steps you can take to get off the information treadmill.
Do an information detox
The first step in establishing a healthy information lifestyle is to get away from it completely. Take a break from everything and allow your system to recover.
That means no news, sports, and social media. Turn off all notifications, other than essential communications, and spend the next week in relative silence.
You can take a trip somewhere nice, meditate, exercise, bathe in the sun and swim in the ocean. Enjoy great food and sleep soundly at night. Follow some healthy practices with the intent of reconnecting with nature and breaking free from the technology that controls you.
Take stock of your consumption habits
Once you’re through the first few days of withdrawal and anxiety you’ll start to feel more relaxed. Your nervous system is getting the rest it needs and allowing all the other body systems to work more efficiently.
When you feel calm you have a much better perspective on the role technology plays in your life. This is a great time to journal the experience and take stock of your consumption habits.
What are your worst habits when it comes to information? How much time are you ‘using’ each day? What triggers you to reach for the phone? What do you do once the phone is in your hand? Is it fulfilling, healthy, or productive, or does it just kill the boredom and feed your anxiety?
Get clear on your habits and weaknesses so you can avoid the same pitfalls in the future.
Light the fire in your belly
What do you love to do? What do you get lost in for hours? What gives you focus and direction? Re-discover your lust for life by doing the work, sport, or art that fills you with energy.
When we’re immersed in something we love, we forget about everything else. We couldn’t care less about what’s in the news, or what some random person is doing on social media. It’s easy to avoid information overload because we have no desire to look – we get into the flow state and the hours fly by.
Now’s the time to re-connect with your passion and give it the attention it deserves.
Follow a low-information diet
Some people won’t want to return to the ‘real’ world, but those that do should do so with caution. We all need a plan to manage the flow of information in our lives and maintain a healthy relationship with technology.
Make a list of information sources that enhance your life. A mix of news, education and entertainment is OK as long as there’s not too much of it. Then, schedule the time of day you’ll consume it.
For long-term mental health, we should all maintain a low information diet and be disciplined about input vs. output. It’s best not to blur the lines between the two.
Manage your devices
There are many ways to stay out of the rabbit hole and creating resistance between you and your apps is one of the most effective. First, delete unnecessary and time-sucking apps from your phone. Second, turn off all but essential notifications. Third, keep your phone in a drawer, or in a separate room.
The harder it is to use, the less time you’ll spend on it.
Organise and act on what you learn
Consuming information all day is a great antidote to boredom. It’s also a great way to procrastinate. By reading another paper, watching another video, listening to another podcast, we never actually have to do any work.
We can stay in a perpetual state of learning. Gathering information and never doing anything with it.
But you and I both know things only happen when we take action. Information that we sit on has very little value in the world, so it’s our ability to organise and create that matters.
Make sure that you are arranging and processing your inputs well so you can maintain a high-quality of output.
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Featured Image: @rami_alzayat
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