What's your content diet?
Dealing with information overload in the age of AI
Do you ever feel like your brain is running on overload?
Emails. Social media. News. Podcasts. WhatsApp notifications. It NEVER stops.
According to the book Stolen Focus, back in 2007 (yes, 17 years ago!), it was estimated we consumed the equivalent of 174 newspapers worth of information a day.
And now? In the age of generative AI? That number must be through the roof.
Yet instead of feeling informed, I feel scattered, distracted, and exhausted.
Do you?
It takes away so much of our ability to focus, making me wonder - who is in control here?
We need to take back control of our own minds.
While there is no straight forward solution, here’s what I’ve been trying:
1. Audit your content diet
Just like with food—junk content = a junk mind.
✔ Notice where your attention goes.
✔ Ask: Is this adding value or just noise?
✔ Ruthlessly unfollow accounts that drain your focus.
2. Set boundaries
✔ No screens first thing in the morning.
✔ Designate “no-scroll” times (like meals & bedtime).
✔ Turn off non-essential notifications.
3. Go for deep learning over shallow scrolling
The problem isn’t too much information—it’s how we consume it.
✔ Read books, not just headlines.
✔ Schedule focused time for intentional learning.
✔ Apply what you consume—knowledge without action is useless.
Our attention is our most valuable asset. Let’s not let algorithms decide where it goes.
This is exactly what Sabine Karunanithy and I talk about on the latest episode of our podcast, "Who Do You Want to Be?"—where we explore how to stay human in the AI era.
🎧 Listen on Spotify:
📹 Watch on YouTube:
Do you think about this stuff too? How do you manage your digital consumption?
Comment or hit reply, I would love to hear from you.
Abha