If we’re overloaded with knowledge, how do we utilize it in a productive way?
When you’re sitting at home, in a dark room and no electronic devices near you…
Are you overloaded with knowledge?
No.
You are overloaded with knowledge when you consume more than you can remember.
This is not hard to achieve.
Just browse on Instagram, YouTube or Twitter for a bit.
After 1–2 hours you won’t be able to catch up with all the information thrown at you.
And after just a day of browsing, you will have seem more information than our ancestors in their lifetimes.
So, we have two options here:
- Limit your Consumption
How many hours do you spend consuming per day? Statistics say that this number is about 4.5 hours. [1]
Spending just 30 minutes to an hour on consumption ensures that more information sticks on your memory.
Your brain is very good at processing one hours content or knowledge, preferably around a single topic. - Create a “Mindful Consumption Time”
With this approach, you can keep consuming for 4 hours per day…
Except 30 minutes to an hour are only dedicated to jotting down everything you want to remember/learn.
Before and after this mindful period, you can get back to your blockbuster movie.
We want to rely on our senses to remember everything and then feel overwhelmed when they don’t. (Oh, I’m overloaded. What should I do?)
Don’t rely on your senses to remember everything.
Writing things down, making notes, recording things and explaining them in your own words…
are all okay and even useful things to do.
Some of the best thinkers in the world keep a pen and notes with them to preserve their thoughts.
But, actually, there is a third approach to this problem…
Do it like the best thinkers in the world.
They aren’t the best thinkers because they can remember everything…
No…
It’s because they have built a library of thoughts in their notes that they can access anytime. And the process they use for that is called…
Writing.
Write down whatever you find interesting, no matter what you are doing or where you are.
You’re out with friends and see a cool poster that intrigues you? Write down what exactly about it intrigued you.
You learned something from an informational YouTube video? Write it down.
You came to an important conclusion after reading a Story? Write it down.
You’re out on a walk and suddenly an amazing thought occurs? Write it down.
If you can’t write it down, just hit the record button on your phone and say it out. Sometimes I do that when I’m too lazy to write.
Make it a habit.
Just imagine doing this for 3 months. You’ll have your own, unique, personal thought library.
You’d be surprised how many amazing thoughts you had but completely forgotten about because they’ve never been preserved.
Don’t let that happen.
Footnotes
[1] Consumers spend 4.5 hours per day on digital entertainment