Have you noticed how much content you get exposed to every day and every week? Also how much ‘stuff’ you feel like you need to get your hands on? You have so much to take in at work, and so much more that excites you to learn outside of work. But all this content consumerism can quickly lead you to more overwhelm. Where the actual purpose of it was to make your life easier in the first place! So how do you know what’s good, what’s bad and where to stop the flow of content?
Content is the new buzzword. There are jobs entirely built around it: content managers, copywriters, chief content officers and so on. As a result, so much gets pushed out in the internet stratosphere and in our work lives through training and presentations. Have you noticed how you journey from excitement to stimulation, and finally to overwhelm quickly after each training or presentation? And how little you do retain afterwards? Is your inbox full of newsletters that you feel kind of obliged to scan through, in case there is something of value to you in there?
Our lives are influenced by so much content, which is now competing with our time and our brain space every day. So the question is how much is enough, and what is really worthwhile content. Quantity certainly does not mean quality out there. Personally I start with turning off things that are not adding value to my life, or helping me achieve my goals: watching the news, scrolling Facebook or Instagram aimlessly, reading a book that I’m not enjoying, watching crap TV. Avoiding overload is all about making your intentional choices. These are mine, and you design yours.
The underlying factor to content overconsumption is two-fold: it can act as a filler or reinforce a sense of lack. If we are not in the place we want to be, we can binge on content to fill our time and thoughts. It pushes away our recurrent questions and distracts us so we don’t take action to create real change. Secondly the key danger with content is that it fuels us with not-enoughness. We see a shiny topic, and immediately feel like we need it badly. To be more, have more and do more in our lives. Or to perfect our lives. That’s the nasty side of content. It’s designed to be helpful, but at times it makes us feel like we should be doing so much more or live so differently.
So how to pick what’s right for you? Start with an audit of everything that lands in your inbox, your podcasts and other media you consume. What’s really helpful and inspiring right now, and what do you need to declutter? The words ‘right now‘ are super critical here. Because you will always evolve with what you need, and content will always be there for you when you need it. So we need to drop the FOMO that we all get rolled into with social media. Be comfortable with letting things go past us. But you also need to spot the signs, the cues that pop around the topics you need – that’s what you need to go for, and that only.
I hereby give you permission to unfollow some feeds, not keep up with every post in the Facebook groups you are in and delete those podcasts you wish you had time for. Scrap all those video series that have been sitting in your inbox for weeks. Let’s celebrate all the articles we are not going to read because we are in control of our time and our priorities. How does it feel being free from content overload? Being able to choose with laser precision what you will focus on and be entirely fullfilled with that?
You might think this article is quite ironic, as I create and share content with you. But I am not advocating starving yourself content-wise either. What I preach is that you need to find the right content for you. It should inspire and uplift you, and somehow give you pointers to unblock your thinking. To get results. Away from the fluff and with real, tangible value. From people who have a deep knowledge of their topic. So look back to the people or sources of information that bring value to you, and focus on those. Soak up the value and really implement the strategies and tools you know will bring you closer to your goals.
