We live in the age of obesity.
I don’t just mean physical obesity. I mean mental obesity.
Just as we are surrounded by cheap, sugary food that destroys our bodies, we are surrounded by cheap, sugary information that destroys our minds.
- Breaking News.
- Twitter Feeds.
- Viral Videos.
- Celebrity Gossip.
We consume gigabytes of data every single day. We tell ourselves we are “staying informed.”
But ask yourself this: When was the last time a piece of “Breaking News” actually changed a decision you made in your daily life?
Probably never.
We are drowning in information, but we are starving for wisdom.
The “Junk Food” of the Mind
Tim Ferriss coined the term “Low-Information Diet.”
The logic is simple: Information is food for your brain.
- Books/Deep Articles = Protein & Vegetables (Builds muscle, sustains energy).
- Social Media/News = Skittles & Soda (Sugar rush, anxiety, crash).
If you ate Skittles for breakfast, lunch and dinner you would get sick.
Yet, most of us feed our brains the equivalent of candy 24/7. No wonder we are anxious, unfocused, and mentally exhausted.
Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence
Why is the news so toxic? Because it focuses almost entirely on things you cannot control.
Stephen Covey visualized this perfectly:
- Circle of Concern: Wars, politics, the economy, what a celebrity said. (Things you worry about but can’t change).
- Circle of Influence: Your habits, your work, your family, your health. (Things you can actually change).
The media forces you to live in your Circle of Concern. It makes you feel angry and helpless.
Digital Wellness is about shrinking your Circle of Concern and expanding your Circle of Influence.
“But… I need to be informed!”
Do you?
“Being informed” is the greatest lie of the information age.
Knowing that a crime happened in a city 3,000 miles away does not make you a better citizen. It just makes you paranoid.
If something is truly important (like a new law or a major event), the news will find you. You won’t be able to miss it. Your friends will talk about it. Your coworkers will mention it.
You don’t need to check the ticker every hour to catch the 1% of signal amidst the 99% of noise.
How to Go on the Diet
You need to treat information like a supply chain manager.
Switch from “Just-in-Case” to “Just-in-Time.”
- Just-in-Case: Reading random articles because “it might be useful someday.” (Hoarding).
- Just-in-Time: Searching for specific information only when you have a problem to solve. (Efficiency).
The Protocol:
- Delete News Apps: Remove CNN, Fox, BBC, and Twitter from your phone.
- Unsubscribe: If an email newsletter doesn’t teach you a skill or make you money, kill it.
- The 7-Day Fast: Try going one week without reading any news.
The Verdict
The modern world rewards Focus, not trivia.
The person who knows every headline is exhausted.
The person who ignores the noise and focuses on their craft is unstoppable.
Selective ignorance is not a weakness. It is a superpower.
The Challenge:
Go to your phone settings and look at your “Screen Time.”
Identify the app you use most for “News” or “scrolling.”
Delete it for 24 hours. Just one day.
Notice if you feel “out of the loop” or if you just feel… free.