Every day we are bombarded by information; via news channels, social media and other people’s views and opinions.

There’s just so much, about everything and if we took in all that we could, then we would all be truly overwhelmed and exhausted by mid-morning.

There’s hundreds of thousands of media outlets that have news and opinions we agree with and there’s just as many that we don’t!

I’m sure we all have experienced the ‘lost time’ a quick check on Facebook can cause, or planning to look up something on Google and following a thread that takes you down several rabbit holes and hours are once again lost.

I’m sure it’s not just me!!

Sometimes, because there is so much, it seems easier to let it all go, rather than try and sort out the good from the bad. This may save your sanity however it also means you can miss some of the good stuff, the stuff you want to read and contemplate and research further. Whoops, more lost time!

Instead of an all or nothing approach, how about developing a way to separate out the good stuff, the stuff that would benefit you from knowing, knowledge that you may even use?

That means we need to learn to identify the good stuff, your good stuff, which is not the same as the good stuff for your friends, family and colleagues.

And your good stuff has to be something that makes you develop your thinking, your habits, your living. It has to be something you’ll use; it has to make a mark by challenging your current beliefs. The really good stuff will help you be a better version of you.

It may be as simple as improving a recipe you always make just a little bit off, or it may make you better at your job, better at your sport, or a better partner, husband father, mother, daughter, son.

How do you separate out the good stuff?

Start with your why

What are you aiming for in life? What do you need to help you get there?
Look for that. Is what you are reading or watching or hearing going to take you to where you want to be?

That’s a very simple, very direct question:

If the answer is yes, tune in. And if it’s no, tune out.

Simple, focussed, and rewarding. Stay open to new learning and enjoy it.

“The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing.”

Voltaire

“Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.”

Confucius