{"id":36282,"date":"2017-07-16T12:46:11","date_gmt":"2017-07-16T19:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=36282"},"modified":"2017-01-21T20:45:36","modified_gmt":"2017-01-22T04:45:36","slug":"avoid-toxic-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/16\/avoid-toxic-information\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoid Toxic Information"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"cindy
Berkeley, 2015 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We often think that more information is better.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In reality, more information can be toxic. The more information you have, the more misinformation<\/em> you often have.<\/p>\n

The problem is that information consumes our attention. Most information is noise, and distracts us.<\/p>\n

What we are seeking for is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153signal\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the little bit of information which is actually useful to you.<\/p>\n

My simple suggestion: everyday seek to cut away a little bit of noise (in terms of information) from your life.<\/p>\n

For example, we all have different preferences for the information we consume. But there is a lot of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153junk food\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in terms of information.<\/p>\n

We know what that is. It is often social media, distracting blogs, or websites that we know isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t good for us, but we are addicted anyways.<\/p>\n

Personally, I am addicted to tech sites, social media, and everything that promises exciting and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153new\u00e2\u20ac\u009d things.<\/p>\n

How I fight my distractions<\/h2>\n

For me, to have the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153will\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to avoid distractions hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worked. The only thing that has worked is to tie myself to the mast\u00e2\u20ac\u201d like what Ulysses did to avoid the sirens.<\/p>\n

Some strategies I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve employed:<\/p>\n

1. Install website blockers<\/h3>\n

For Safari, you can install the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Waste no Time\u00e2\u20ac\u009d plugin \u00e2\u20ac\u201d which prevents you from visiting certain websites you deem distracting.<\/p>\n

For Google Chrome, you can install the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153StayFocusd\u00e2\u20ac\u009d plugin, which does the same.<\/p>\n

2. Uninstall distracting apps<\/h3>\n

Everyday, I try to uninstall one distracting app from my phone or laptop everyday. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m always surprised\u00e2\u20ac\u201d whenever I think a certain app is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153indispensable\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, I find out it is often a distraction.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made it a bit of a game\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to uninstall at least one app a day. Get to the point where you only have the absolute essentials, and you will find a lot less distractions, and more focus.<\/p>\n

3. Disable notifications<\/h3>\n

We all have felt it \u00e2\u20ac\u201d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153phantom vibrations\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from our smartphone in our pocket. We feel our phone vibrate, pick it up, and actually nothing happened.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made it a point to disable app my notifications\u00e2\u20ac\u201d text-messages, SMS, messages, email (I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have email installed in my phone), and anything that causes a pop-up to show up in my phone or laptop.<\/p>\n

By disabling notifications, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in control. You can control your things when you want to. And not only that, but when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m trying to get real work done (blogging\/writing\/etc) I turn off my wifi, turn off my phone (all the way off, or in airplane mode), and it is incredible how much work I can get.<\/p>\n

What information empowers you?<\/h2>\n

Information is important. But you only want to consume the information which is truly important to you.<\/p>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be afraid of missing out (FOMO \u00e2\u20ac\u201d fear of missing out<\/a>). The truth is all the really important information will eventually have a way of reaching you.<\/p>\n

So kill distractions, and find focus and zen in your life. You will be able to consume the information which empowers you, rather than the junk food information which kills your focus, attention, and mental energy.<\/p>\n

Stay focused,
\nEric<\/p>\n

Learn more: Philosophy ><\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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