There are over 800 million videos on YouTube as of 2022. One billion videos are watched each day on one platform! We’ve entered a massive problem in terms of your growth - the information overload era.
This is an issue for people like you and me. People who want consistent growth and to continue to learn, digest, and apply new information to help make transformations in different areas. Too much of anything boils down to too many options, which lead to inaction altogether.
Welcome to another Monday and another day on the YOL blog. Thanks for tuning in, and thanks for supporting my platform! Today I wanted to dive into why too many options in 2022 are holding you back from making decisions, from learning what matters and stopping you dead in your tracks altogether.
My solution? Three steps to help block out the noise (focus), find trustworthy and reliable candidates (Resources), and finally, apply what you’ve learned (application).
Sound simple enough? That’s because it is like anything else I talk about here. Simple is vital; sticking to the basics works; there are no fancy complex formulas.
Let’s get right into avoiding the noise and getting results without consuming hundreds of hours of video content or endless late-night research.
I want first to look at a typical example of information overload that I’m sure everyone here can relate to - the menu that offers everything.
Have you ever gone to a restaurant to eat and flipped through the menu to find it's ten pages long and offers 153 different items? Trying to pick one thing to eat for lunch seems nearly impossible. How could you come up with one something to eat when there are so many options (too many, in fact).
It is similar to the information overload online but times a million.
The truth is that while it is indeed easier to access information, resources, video content, blogs, social media platforms, and websites, this is the problem. Too much of everything causes distractions, leading to you constantly searching for that (one secret or hack) that exists.
Guess what? The secret or hack isn’t out there, and while many people create content about books and secrets, they are often far-fetched.
Focus is the first step you want to focus on when trying to sift through all the noise. Too much content is a problem. Being focused will allow you to narrow your vision of the topic or area you want to learn.
One way to apply this focus is to set a 60-minute timer, and during this hour, you will only search up information, blogs, written content, or watch videos on your desired interest. This could be solely on money or investing, or health and exercise.
The point is to stay focused on that area. You don’t want to get drawn into the infinite loop of cat videos and memes on space.
Social media and today’s type of content don’t care what you want to do or research. It’s meant to keep you hooked and on the platform for as much time as possible. This means if you like watching random cat videos here and there, it will push more and more of that until it sucks you in and 4 hours pass.
As I previously stated, I find the ability to focus works best in intervals. If you set a 60-minute timer to focus on a specific area, once it’s done, take a 15-minute break. This is a complete break off of the device, change rooms, grab a snack or a drink, stretch, journal, whatever.
Focus is a significant thing that’s lacking in today’s up-and-coming generation. This is a crucial skill worth investing in to stay on track in this digital age.
Oh, the endless content on the web is impressive, isn’t it? So much free information from so many different people. Finding the correct information from the right people is often the real issue here.
Finding people online that are trustworthy, reliable, and authentic is tough. While there are millions of channels on money on YouTube, who are the real people who have not only done what you’re trying to achieve already but are great teachers?
It can take time and effort to find these top or elite creators in the space but trust me it will be worth the investment. There’s nothing worse than watching a weekend's worth of videos from 19 different people with 19 different opinions on the topic you’re interested in.
Trust is harder to build online now than it ever was. There is too much online and too many people to follow. Everyone is always selling, and we’re unsure of their actual underlying intentions of only helping themselves.
So, what is my take on finding the best resources online? I mean to limit how much content you are open to absorbing. If you love five different channels about money that align with these people's beliefs, mindsets, and attitudes - stick with them.
Of course, you can venture to other videos or content here and there (as you should). My point is that you want to avoid consuming everything because this simply doesn’t work, and you will take ten times longer to achieve the results you seek.
Not every idol or known mentor at the top is the person you should follow—many different people who have a good message and value to provide. I suggest searching on the web and social platforms to see who stands out. If you like the content and person, keep following them. If not - unfollow them and move on.
Consuming content, reading, watching, researching, and whatever else you can do is great - but it takes time. And now that you’ve watched 100 money videos and read 100 money books, where and when do you apply what you’ve learned?
It leads to a MASSIVE problem when it comes to people changing and people taking the next step towards growth - application.
Today is a digital information overload - there are endless platforms to be on and too much content. It often leads people to search for the perfect piece of content to apply but never applies it!
How do I know this? Because it’s happened to me! I used to think that consuming multiple books a month would be beneficial to me. I felt that if I could read one book a week (four a month), I would grow so fast it would be unbelievable.
What I didn’t realize at the time is that consuming four books a month is only PART of that growth. And by part, I mean a small amount of it. Without understanding, believing, and APPLYING the content - I wouldn’t grow.
You will not create change unless you apply what you learn in a specific field. Learning is great, and I’m not saying to throw away your vast reading goals, but remember that understanding the content and applying it to your life is what matters.
I began to understand rather than read four books a month without applying. What if I read one book a month and highlighted key areas: taking notes, marking pages, taking pictures of valuable info and quotes, and writing down actionable steps to apply to my life.
When applied, one book a month would take ten times my return on previously reading four and moving on.
The key takeaway is that applying a book, blog, piece of content, video, or school program matters. If you fail to use it, you will fail to make a change.
While I could go on and on about how this internet-driven area is mind-numbing and so tricky to navigate for days, I won't. You now have three steps to apply to your life (if you want) to help you get out of the vast consumption of content and to align with what’s important to you.
We talked about avoiding online information overload: focus, resources, and application.
If you’re looking to create even more clarity and a vision around your life - I invite you to sign up for my free goal-setting email course. It will help you to understand (and apply) the keys to goals in your own life. Thanks for spending your time here. See you next week.
Chris M Wilson
Chris Wilson is a keynote speaker, CTI coach, and entrepreneur. Through his Hover to Fly framework, he aims to impact the next generation in their careers and lives.
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