The overwhelm is not your fault
CORE INSIGHT
I've noticed that all of the newsletters in my inbox are starting to really overwhelm me. I notice even the ones I like, spike my cortisol a bit, because it feels like another thing I'm "supposed" to do and failing at.
Americans are spending an average of 7 hours a day consuming digital media. Besides the time suck that it is, it is also making us more anxious and less tolerant. Evolution wired us to pay attention to what's dangerous and media conglomerates are cashing in on this instinct. The only solution is to take back our attention. But not only in the media we consume, in our in-boxes as well.
I realize the irony of pointing this out in a newsletter. But noticing something true and then pretending otherwise isn't really my style.
Which is why I'm revamping this newsletter to be as helpful, hopeful and succinct as I can make it.
"Attention is the beginning of devotion."
-Mary Oliver
PATTERN REFRAME
Feeling overwhelmed by information isn't a focus problem or a willpower problem. It's a nervous system problem. Our nervous systems were designed to track about 20 meaningful variables at a time. We are now processing thousands. Your system was never designed for this volume, this speed, or this much manufactured urgency. When your inbox makes you anxious, that's not you being dramatic. That's data. The question worth asking is not "how do I get through all of this" but "what actually deserves my attention?"
I go deeper on this in Episode 2 of the Self Study Lab podcast:
You're Not Broken, You're Living in the Wrong Environment
MY FIELD NOTES
I've been experimenting with creating a master email account that all my other accounts forward to. It didn't solve my life, but it has led to a little more ease. If you try something similar, or have your own attention-management experiments worth sharing, hit reply. I read every one.
LAB EXPERIMENT
This week, notice one place where your attention is being spent rather than chosen. It might be a newsletter, a news app, a social media account, or a group chat. You don't have to delete anything. Just notice whether it's adding to your life or quietly draining it. We can't choose when we don't notice.