⏱️ Time: 1 hr setup, 30 min/day | 🎯 Difficulty: Beginner | 📈 ROI: Quick Win | ✅ Status: Active
Curate Your Information Diet
Systematic elimination of low-value information and replacement with high-value sources.
Prerequisites
- Understand Input Quality (why this matters)
- Willingness to miss out on “news”
The Protocol
Phase 1: Eliminate (30 min, one-time)
- Delete news apps from phone. All of them.
- Turn off notifications for email, social media, news.
- Unsubscribe from newsletters you haven’t read in 30 days.
- Remove social media from phone (or set daily time limits ≤30 min).
- Log out of social media on desktop (adds friction).
Phase 2: Curate (30 min, one-time)
- Identify 2-3 trusted sources for information you actually need.
- Set up RSS feeds or email digests instead of algorithmic feeds.
- Subscribe to weekly summaries instead of daily news.
- Create a “read later” system (Pocket, Instapaper, or a folder).
Phase 3: Schedule (ongoing)
-
Block information consumption times:
- Morning: No screens until morning routine complete
- Midday: 30 min after lunch for curated reading
- Evening: No screens 1 hour before bed
-
Batch check email at set times (e.g., 10am, 2pm, 5pm).
-
Weekly reading block: 1-2 hours for long-form content from “read later” queue.
Phase 4: Replace
| Old Habit | New Habit |
|---|---|
| Morning news scroll | Morning planning |
| Social media breaks | Walk or stretch |
| Evening doom-scroll | Book reading |
| Notification checking | Focused work blocks |
The 30-Day Challenge
Week 1: Eliminate (delete, unsubscribe, turn off) Week 2: Curate (set up trusted sources, RSS) Week 3: Schedule (time-block consumption) Week 4: Maintain (catch yourself relapsing, recommit)
Failure Modes
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| FOMO anxiety | Important news reaches you through people. Trust this. |
| ”But I need to stay informed” | Ask: What action will this information enable? Usually none. |
| Reinstalled apps | Delete again. Use website-only if needed. |
| Boredom triggers scrolling | Replace with book, walk, or actual rest. |
| Work requires social media | Use separate browser profile, time-boxed. |
Success Metrics
- Daily time on unproductive browsing (target: <30 min)
- Books read per month (should increase)
- Self-reported anxiety (should decrease)
- Sleep quality (should improve if evening scrolling reduced)
- Can you recall 3 important things learned this week? (should improve)
The goal isn’t to be uninformed. It’s to be intentionally informed about things that matter.