Hi there — it’s been a while.
Like many of you, I’ve been caught up in the rush of life and the pull of distractions. Getting back to writing feels like clearing space in a noisy room — refreshing, a little daunting, but necessary.
This post is my attempt to reconnect — with the craft of writing, and with you. And what better topic to write than the one we’re all silently struggling with: information overload.
Lately, it feels like we’re drowning in the flood of information. What do you think?
That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the world we live in today — especially with the rise of AI. It seems like the world is getting exploded with information generated by both humans and AI. As soon as you swipe your device, notifications pop up, articles, videos, posts, opinions, tutorials, ads, and memes flood our screens. There’s more content published every day than we could consume in a lifetime. Everything seems important and relevant to our life.
I understand the good side of information explosion. Anyone with a phone and an internet connection can access tutorials, courses, research papers, and videos on just about anything and can go from zero to “expert” in weeks. At least in theory. While it sounds great, we are facing a new challenge, which is to focus on what is essential. That’s where I feel like we are being drowned.
With so much information competing for our attention, we’re struggling to focus. It’s like being in a massive library where every book is yelling at you. Most of us are stuck in this loop of scrolling, saving, watching, bookmarking — but rarely doing. We’re consuming more than ever, but understanding and applying less.
Over the years, I’ve realized that staying productive in a world full of information requires more than discipline — it requires structure. Without clear intent, I often found myself tumbling down rabbit holes. I’d start with a purposeful search and end up chasing unrelated content just because it was interesting. It felt like learning, but in truth, it was scattered attention masquerading as progress.
The explosion of information isn’t going away. If anything, it’s accelerating with AI. So what do we do?
Focus on Your Goals
In the chaos of information, knowing your goals is grounding. I’ve learned to pause and ask, “What do I actually care about?” Writing down my goals — not vague ambitions, but specific outcomes — has changed the game. It becomes a filter. When a shiny new topic pops up, I check: Does this help me get where I want to go? If not, I move on. Have clarity on your goals and then look for tools for help. Find a right tool and stick with it. Don’t be an analyst of tools.
As Cal Newport, author of Deep Work, puts it:
Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.
Use Technology as a Tool
Technology should serve you, not the other way around. Many people have become life-long servants of social media apps and spend hours when they should be used as tools to connect.
I’ve wasted hours trying various technology solutions to be more productive. What finally helped was choosing a handful of tools that truly support my workflow and goals — and sticking with them. For example, I now rely on Microsoft OneNote for structured notes and planning, and use tools like Microsoft To Do to keep my tasks aligned with my goals. These choices didn’t just make me more efficient — they gave me peace of mind after trying so many tools out there.
The danger with tech is that it’s seductive. Every tool promises more productivity, but too many tools become their own kind of noise. The trick is to keep your tech stack lean and purposeful. I have noticed my peers in product management, they like to use as simple tool as Excel for planning at the end of the day. Don’t be too conservative. Try new things only when you need to and stick with what works best for you. Practice minimalism.
If you’re interested in this topic, consider reading “Minimalism Is the Key to a Focused Life” by Ryan Holiday, where he discusses how limiting digital distractions helps protect our time and attention.
Justin Hockey also has also written a nice article here on Digital Minimalism.
Use AI to Maximize Efficiency
When you’re surrounded by an endless stream of content, AI can help you cut through the noise. For me, it’s become a filtering system. I use it to summarize articles before deciding if they’re worth reading in full. I use it to extract action points from long documents, organize research, and brainstorm ideas when my brain is too overloaded to think clearly.
But AI can easily become just another firehose. That’s why I treat it as a way to distill, not add more. If I’m already overwhelmed, the last thing I need is more information. I need better structure. Used wisely, AI isn’t just a time-saver — it’s a mental decluttering tool.
As Alan Kay once said,
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
With AI, we can invent new ways to focus in a world designed to distract us. As a Product Manager, I use AI as a designer to validate solutions and focus on solving problems.
Be Less Curious About the Irrelevant
Curiosity is great, but it needs boundaries. I used to pride myself on how many random topics I could dive into. But that scattershot learning added up to surface-level knowledge. Now, I remind myself: not everything deserves my attention. If it doesn’t align with my goals, I let it go.
As Herbert Simon said,
A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.
And as Bruce Lee famously put it,
It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.
Set Clear Learning Goals
Have you ever noticed how newsfeeds work on your social media or news apps? They use infinite scrolling and algorithms tailored to your behavior, constantly serving up content that feels relevant and engaging. Each new post, reel, or meme gives a quick hit of novelty — and with it, a little rush of dopamine.
It’s fun in the moment, but over time, this constant stimulation can hijack your attention. Before you know it, hours pass in what feels like minutes. That same design that keeps you giggling also keeps you from focusing on what really matters.
In a world of constant input, learning without direction is like wandering a city with no map. I used to hop between videos and articles hoping something would stick. But it rarely did. Now, I approach learning with a simple but powerful question: What exactly do I want to walk away knowing or doing?
Once I define that, I set a clear objective before diving in. I keep it short, actionable, and aligned with my broader goals. This tiny habit has saved me hours of mindless exploration and helped me stay on track.
Clarity turns noise into signal. Without it, the internet becomes a distraction machine. With it, it becomes a learning engine.
This idea is echoed in While Everyone Is Distracted By Social Media, Successful People Double Down On An Underrated Skill By Michael Simmons.
Limit Your Sources
Are you constantly getting pinged, notified, alerted or forced to take actions? Take a deep dive and see what you follow. When you subscribe to many sources for information, you will be hooked and cooked.
One of the biggest shifts that helped me manage information overload was learning to be ruthless about where I get my input. At one point, I subscribed to dozens of newsletters, followed endless YouTube channels, and bookmarked hundreds of blogs. I was very active on WhatsApp and Facebook. I was always on LinkedIn, built and moderated groups. I thought I was building a rich knowledge pipeline, but really, I was drowning in noise and wandering in the digital forest without a goal.
Now, I treat information sources like a curated bookshelf. I ask: Is this source consistently useful? Does it align with what I’m trying to learn or achieve? If the answer isn’t a clear yes, I drop it. I’ve narrowed it down to a handful of trusted creators, writers, and thinkers who deliver depth, not just updates.
It’s not about cutting yourself off from the world. It’s about respecting your time and cognitive energy. By limiting your sources, you’re not closing doors — you’re opening space for better thinking.
The foundation of learning is practicing and sharing what we consume.
Consume Less, Apply More
For a long time, I found myself endlessly cycling through YouTube tutorials, Udemy courses, and every “Top 10 tools to learn X” video out there. It felt productive and felt like learning something new, but in hindsight, I was falling into the trap of passive learning. I was consuming information like entertainment — with little to show for it.
Eventually, I changed my approach. I began applying a simple rule: if I’m going to learn something, I need to use it right away. This shift made a big difference. I built apps when I learned coding. I shared discussed with colleagues when I learned a new technique.
Edgar Dale’s Learning Pyramid emphasizes the importance of applying what we learn.
It shows that people retain 5% of what they hear in lectures, 10% of what they read, and up to 75% of what they practice by doing. That’s a huge gap. Passive learning feels easy but rarely sticks. Active use is where real retention — and transformation — happens.
Now, I watch fewer tutorials and spend more time applying concepts, even in small ways. It’s not about how much you consume. It’s about what you do with it.
Create More Than You Consume
One of the most effective ways to fight information overload is to shift from being a passive consumer to an active creator. Consumption is endless — you can always read another article, watch another video, or scroll another feed. Creation, on the other hand, has a natural boundary: it requires thought, synthesis, and clarity.
When overwhelmed by too much input, creating something forces the mind to slow down and make sense of the noise. It’s how raw information gets transformed into personal insight. Whether it’s writing a summary, building an app, painting a beautiful scene or explaining a concept out loud, creation is a filter. It reveals what truly matters and what was just background clutter.
In a world where the stream never stops, choosing to create is an act of focus. It’s how knowledge becomes action and how learning turns into understanding. More importantly, it’s how you regain control over your attention. When I need to focus, I take a piece of canvas and paint something.
So, just to close, we live in a time where we have overwhelming information accessible at our fingertips. That’s powerful. But without focus, it’s also paralyzing. The key is to consume and apply it wisely.
Key Takeaways
- Focus on goals. We’re not short on information — we’re short on intention and focus. Define what you want, and let that guide what you consume.
- Use technology, don’t let it use you. Keep your tools lean, purposeful, and aligned with your goals.
- AI is powerful — but only if it filters, not floods. Let it help you distill, not distract.
- Curiosity needs boundaries. Not everything interesting is relevant. Learn to let go of what doesn’t serve your direction.
- Learning without goals is noise. Set clear objectives before you consume content.
- Declutter your digital world. Regularly unfollow, unsubscribe, and unhook from irrelevant inputs.
- Consumption without action is forgettable. Apply what you learn — practice beats passive intake.
- In a world designed to distract, creation is focus. It’s how you anchor yourself and build something meaningful.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you found this post helpful in navigating the chaos of the information age. If you have questions, thoughts, or just want to connect, feel free to send an invite on LinkedIn.
