You’re not stuck. You’re just over-informed.
EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT: It’s my favorite time of the year. The Summer Walking Club is quickly approaching. To kick things off, I started a new Instagram account, @summerwalkingclub, to inspire you to take action now! Give it a follow and start doing. As you’ll learn below, it’s the most important thing you can do!
Are you stuck in the information trap?
The other day, I caught myself two podcasts deep on a walk, saving three more for later, and then opening Instagram to “just check one thing.” By the end of it, I couldn’t tell you a single thing I actually learned. Yet, I felt behind. Like I needed more.
Have you ever felt that way?
Like you don’t know enough or have enough information to make the right choice?
That’s the trap.
This highlights what I share in the final, most important episode of the podcast series, Health Illusions — The Illusion of Information.
I know it’s not as sexy as the scale or body composition.
No one is lining up thinking, “Please, tell me more about my cognitive overload.” Yet this one matters because we so quickly jump to gathering information and ideas that we miss the biggest factor influencing how you feel: the actions you do or don’t take.
Most people aren’t stuck because they don’t know what to do. They’re stuck because they’re not doing anything with what they know. They’re not using their knowledge. They’re just stockpiling it. And, similar to food, that impacts your metabolism.
The metabolic downgrade of information overload.
Information overload is basically the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat buffet. It feels productive at first. But then you keep going back for just one more thing, and soon enough, you’re mentally unbuttoning your jeans, overwhelmed, uncomfortable, and still thinking you need more.
Just like more food doesn’t equate to more nutrients, more information doesn’t actually mean you know more. Most of the time, it’s actually the opposite. Stuffing yourself equates to less. It’s called the information paradox, where the more you consume, the more fragmented your thinking becomes and the less you actually know.
You’re not clearer. You’re just more overwhelmed and stuck.
When what you really need is to do something with what you consume. To be clear, you just need to move!
You have what you need.
The number one phrase people say to me sounds like this:
“I don’t know what to do.”
“I’m confused.”
Arguably, health is confusing. But it’s only confusing because we stop at consuming information (knowledge) and never put it into practice to develop wisdom (discernment). We get stuck in consuming and not doing, which means we can never conclude what is or isn’t working.
And that means you stay right where you’re at.
But what if you stopped letting confusion win? What if you took what you already knew and put it into practice? Not because it works every time, but because you learn what works based on your experience.
If you’re confused, let it be a sign you need to act, not consume.
I believe you know enough to get started. You have what you need. Now you need to choose to start.
Become a doer:
Zoom out with me for a moment:
What could your life look like a year from now if you consumed less and acted more?
What if you stopped searching for the perfect plan and just committed to taking action on an imperfect one?
What would be different if your learning came from doing, not consuming?
I think you’d be shocked at how far you’d get. Getting really always boils down to those who are doing.
What should you do?
Walk. Run. Or just get up and move.
The cool thing about doing with what you’re consuming is that they don’t have to be directly related. Go back to calories. Calories out doesn’t have to relate to what you consume. Meaning you don’t need to shift your workouts based on the foods you eat.
The same is true for information. Don’t overthink it. There isn’t a specific action that correlates with consuming news information versus consuming health information.
The idea is that you move. Through movement (physically moving your body), you’ll determine if there is a specific way you desire to move or if there is a specific action you can take to process the information.
But the first step is physically moving your body.
That’s why I’m a big fan of walking. It has a low entry barrier but offers massive returns. You’d be amazed at what a simple walk, even five or ten minutes, can do for your mind and nervous system.
Go take a walk. And make sure you follow @summerwalkingclub for more inspiration.
While you’re walking, turn on the last podcast of the Health Illusions series to learn more.
“After the show”: What’s coming up, what to do with information, and more!
In today’s “After The Show,” I’m sharing more about the wisdom gap and how the gap differentiating humans is going to widen in the world of AI.
Plus, I also share more about what’s coming up here at The Weekly Fill, including a summer filled with ACTION, both physically and nutritionally.
Leave a comment below if you’re ready for a summer of action!
