Information Overload is More Detrimental Than Helpful

TL; DR Information overload is real and robbing you

Each year as a culture we create words and terms to explain new phenomena that we experience. Here are a few that have me concerned; infobesity, infoxication, data smog, data glut and information anxiety. Maybe you have heard of some of these? They refer to the plentitude of information that far exceeds our ability to consume and absorb it. While having so much data available at our fingertips might seem like a valuable tool, it is inadvertently causing serious problems in the areas of decision making, originality, creativity and mental health. 

I am often asked what I consume to grow in my business aptitude. Which books or podcasts are my favorite? While I do have a select few that I try to catch, the truth is that is a very small list. I am a firm believer in quality over quantity and my go to resource is the Bible. There is nothing like it. The book of proverbs alone has been like a field manual for me as I pursue wisdom for my day to day. There are a lot of successful people with platforms to share their opinions, however we can get caught in overconsumption especially when we are looking for answers or breakthroughs in our business life. When we become over saturated by other people’s voices and opinions, it robs us of our originality and the creative thought process unique to us.  

Less is More

If we really are experiencing infobesity, surely the cure is info-dieting. This verse in Matthew shows that the merit is not simply in just what we hear, but rather how much we understand: 

But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” 

Matthew 3:23 NIV 

My advice is to listen to less and understand more. Develop your own voice and opinion by the help of the Holy Spirit and stop being an echo chamber for other people’s thoughts. Solomon, considered one of the wisest men who ever lived, advocated to listening to the voice of God for direction and insight: 

There’s no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you’re no good for anything else. The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you. 

Ecclesiastes 12:12 MSG 

We were never created to know everything, that is God’s job. Instead, we were created to be dependent on Him. The gaps in our understanding leave room for God to move and for us to need Him. The danger of the information age is the belief that we can be self-sufficient by just learning more. 

Create Space and Silence 

In a world where we are encouraged to optimize every waking moment, I want to challenge you to approach life with a different mindset. How do you grow your imagination? How do you reduce the noise of all the voices competing for your attention? When do you invite silence to ponder or meditate on what the Lord is saying to you? If you feel like your ability to create, problem solve or examine feels stunted, ask God for help. This has been the practice that has equipped me for every business situation that I did not feel equipped for.