---
title: Information Overwhelm
created: 2024-11-18T09:18:12
modified: 2025-12-03T07:10:07
---

> _“Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” ― T.S. Eliot, [The Waste Land and Other Poems](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/15306654)_ [^1]

> _Knowledge is cumulative. Intelligence is selective. It’s a matter of efficiency versus effectiveness._

> _“The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu advised, “To attain knowledge add things every day. To attain wisdom [subtract](addition-by-subtraction.md) things every day.” ― Leidy Klotz, [Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/79888731)_

---

# Problems

* 資訊爆炸/洪流的時代
	* In the age of
		* Information abundance/overload
		* Infinite information on the internet
	* We all live in a consumption-oriented life. Fast consumption, constant consumption, more consumption.
* [“The Never-Ending Now” by David Perell](https://perell.com/essay/never-ending-now/)
* 數位焦慮 FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
* Most of us only consume contents created
	* within the last 24 hours (e.g., news)
	* recommended by the “For You” algorithm (e.g., YT videos, SM feeds)
* [Functional Illiteracy](Functional%20Illiteracy.md)

# Solutions

* Just-In-Case information → Just-In-Time information
	* It’s not enough to use information for “something” — it needs to be immediate and important. If “no” on either count, don’t consume it. [Information is useless if it is not applied to something important](cultivate-a-strong-bias-towards-action.md) or if you will forget it before you have a chance to apply it.
* Reactive → Proactive
	* Develop the habit of asking yourself, “_Will I definitely use this information for something immediate and important?_” before consuming any content
* Fast, excessive consumption → Slow, gradual engagement
* FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) → JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out)
	* “Try to get to the _bottom_ of things, not stay on _top_ of things.”
	* 不要害怕錯過資訊，因為如果是真的很重要的資訊，它會再次出現在我們眼前

		> 就跟手機來電一樣，如果真的很重要，對方會再打一次，如果沒有再次來電，代表是不重要的事情

	* Practice strategic ignorance. Be selectively ignorant. Sometimes, choosing what to pay attention to and letting go of the rest is true bliss. [^2]

		> Ignorance is bliss. (無知便是福。)

		> _“Ignore topics that drain your attention. Unfollow people that drain your energy. Abandon projects that drain your time. Do not keep up with it all. The more selectively ignorant you become, the more broadly knowledgeable you can be.” — James Clear_

	* [News Sobriety](News%20Sobriety.md)
* The Laundry Cycle Mentality
	* Think about the areas of your life where you are placing unnecessary pressure on yourself to have everything in a “completed” state, e.g., to-read pile (Read-It-Later → Never-Read-It).
	* Perhaps that area is better viewed as a RIVER than as a BUCKET — as a cycle, not a fixed state.
* Build a [note-taking habit](note-taking.md) and an [idea-capturing system](idea-capture-inbox.md)
* Consume less. [Reflect/Review](reflect-and-review.md) or [Create/Produce/Make/Build](creativity-is-just-connecting-things.md) More.
	* Embrace [Low Information Diet](Low%20Information%20Diet.md) to avoid the “[Mental Squeeze Point](https://notes.linkingyourthinking.com/Cards/Mental+Squeeze+Point)”
	* Spend more time _connecting dots (convergent exploiting)_ than you do _collecting them (divergent exploring)_
	* Strive for a balance between _consuming_ and _digesting_ information—because if you only take in content without truly processing it, you’re likely to forget most of what you encounter.
	* If you decide to consume something:
		* Consume what you are going to create

			> _“The number of hours I spend consuming should never equal or exceed the number of hours I spend creating.” ― Nicolas Cole, The Art and Business of Online Writing_

			* Mindset Shift: Consumer → Producer
			* 帶著「輸出」的前提去「輸入」（[Writing Worth Reading](https://fs.blog/reading)）：「當我吸收這些資訊&知識後，我要寫出一篇可以公開發表的筆記（或部落格文章）」
		* Only consume quality contents that have stood the test of time.

			> _[Hype erodes. Quality persists.](https://x.com/JamesClear/status/1956069352601477465)_

			* [The Lindy Library](The%20Lindy%20Effect.md)
			* [Brain Attic](Brain%20Attic.md)
		* Read fewer forecasts and more history. Study history to predict the future.

			> _“History never repeats itself. Man always does.” ― Voltaire_

			> _“Learn enough from history to respect one another’s delusions.” — Will Durant_

			> _“Reality will pay you back in equal proportion to your delusion.” — Will Smith_

			* It’s all just history repeating itself (Historic Recurrence).
			* Humans tend to repeat the mistakes humans make.
	* Remember: _Information_ and _knowledge_ are two different things!
		* 「資訊」並不代表「知識」 — 文化評論家南方朔
		* 「批判 \& 獨立思考」的能力至關重要

[^1]: 智慧是知識的恰當運用。
[^2]: 但要小心「無知的樂觀（dumb ignorant）」。