This got me thinking... Since the pandemic of 2020, an avalanche of information equal to a Happy Meal diet has poured into my brain. Not to mention an algorithm that always wants me to Super-Size it:

Click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll, click, scroll… Ad infinitum.

At least the stomach has a limited capacity and an evacuation plan. But the brain (or at least my brain) is a little more ornery. It knows how much is too much but it doesn’t seem to care. Plus, the powers that be have rigged the game to make us want what we know is bad for us — how twisted is that? And it becomes exponentially easier to manipulate us, the more we engage and consume.

RINSE. WASH. REPEAT.

This reminded me of an idea Tim Ferriss introduced called “Low-Information Diet”. The idea is to minimize your consumption of unnecessary information to quiet the mind and free up brainpower.

Tim was referring to business productivity, but this easily could apply to mental health. Moderating your intake of excess or information (calories) can reduce stress, quiet the mind, while encouraging mindfulness.

So here’s my plan: I’ll only consume “good” information from Monday to Saturday like books, films, conversation, etc. Sunday is cheat day, which means guilt free consumption of trash. Be it endless cat videos or apocalypse news. Odds are, I won't spend the whole day melting my brain, but if I do, I have a 6:1 ratio of healthy info-meals... The goal? A healthy brain that wants to think and create, not deteriorate.

I’ll be trying this for 30 days with a friend of mine. If you want to join, leave a comment below! I’ll send you some encouragement.

Sincerely,

Matt Cooper