We are not machines. If I had to think up a metaphor for how our mind works, I would say it’s more like a coil spring than a sponge. We do not get information in by slurping it up. Our minds are being shaped as we make sense of new information. Now imagine a whole field of springs, every one of them being pressed down with the weight of new information. Imagine that the weight never gets lifted up and as we fill the field with rocks debris, bits of gold and precious stones, we end up not being able to see anything valuable and unable to take on more.
This is how I imagine our minds to look like in the digital age. We attach so much value to filling up the field of the mind. Compressing our springs and hoping that we’ll be able to distinguish between worth and debris. Well, we simply can’t. We were not made that way. There needs to be time for decompressing our springs. Time for sifting through the rubble. Time for gathering what’s valuable.
I’m finding that I no longer have this time. I’m constantly tired. Constantly anxious and constantly feeling like I’m falling behind. I believe this is largely a symptom of FOMO. The world is changing so rapidly that you might get left behind if you don’t move fast enough. The problem is that staying on top of the latest information does not lead to faster movement. What might lead to it is making a bet, taking action and reviewing the results alongside new information. New data should help you with action not prohibit you from moving and that’s probably it right?
We are afraid to be wrong, we are afraid to be left out and we are absolutely afraid of failing. And because we fear failure we lack action. Action that could have led us to something meaningful. Let me say this. There is a possibility that you might fail. And there is a possibility that you might succeed. If you take action you’re moving toward success. Inaction means you’ve already accepted failure. I think the smarter thing to do is to adjust your action based on new information. Testing it out in theory and then in practice. Consistently doing this leads to something we’re all craving, which is, mastery.
The question I ask myself and you should too. What do I want to master or achieve? For me at this stage it will be to build a software business and so I have a plan.
My plan for the next few weeks will be to limit outside information to a few very specific sessions a week. I will start my detoxing. Meaning I’m only allowed to review new information on Fridays. From there I’ll add more days, but only if I’m actually using new information as a tool that helps me move forward.
I hope to get better at identifying quality information sources and I hope to share more as I’m learning.