The Attention Diet: How to Reclaim Your Mind from Endless Noise

In this episode, I talk about the overwhelming flood of modern information and how it’s affecting my ability to think clearly. I explore why removing friction from information consumption has led to mental overload, the illusion of being informed, and how the endless stream of news and social media impacts cognitive clarity. Plus, I share a practical framework for cutting through the noise and reclaiming focus.

Topics Covered:

• Updates on Pizza Party webcomic, YouTube video essays
• The work of Julia Wertz and Impossible People
• The difference between information consumption in 1933 vs. today
• Why more information doesn’t mean more understanding
• The signal-to-noise problem in modern media
• The illusion of being informed
• The 90% Solution: How I curate my information diet
• Strategies I use for reclaiming mental clarity and focus

Key Takeaways:

• Modern media operates like reality TV—designed for engagement, not understanding
• High-volume information consumption leads to shallow thinking
• There are only two types of information worth keeping: foundational knowledge and actionable intelligence
• A strategic information diet improves decision-making and cognitive depth

Mentions:

• Pizza Party Webcomic
• Julia Wertz’s Impossible People
• Nassim Taleb on the ‘Rational Flâneur’

Actionable Steps:

1. Audit your current information consumption habits.
2. Unfollow, unsubscribe, or block sources that don’t provide real value.
3. Prioritize deep, high-quality sources over fragmented, reactionary content.
4. Introduce regular ‘fasting’ days from news and social media.
5. Focus on understanding, not just knowing.