Information Intake
Build a deliberate information diet that improves your thinking quality. How to audit your current sources, eliminate noise, and design a signal-rich intake system.
You are what you read.
Literally.
Your thinking is shaped by your information sources.
Low-quality sources → Low-quality thinking.
Noisy sources → Distracted thinking.
Misaligned sources → Confused thinking.
Most people treat information intake like junk food.
Whatever's easiest. Whatever arrives.
Then they wonder why their thinking feels fragmented.
Designing an information diet is designing your mind.
This guide covers how to audit your current intake and redesign it for better thinking.
An information diet is:
Not:
It is:
An information diet is design, not deprivation.
You're on Twitter.
Twitter's algorithm shows you what engages you most.
Not what's most important.
Not what's true.
What's most addictive.
Result: Fragmented attention, rage-inducing content, constant distraction.
You subscribe to newsletters because they came recommended.
You follow accounts because they were trending.
No coherent strategy.
Result: 50 newsletters, zero consistency, information overload.
Email notifications.
Slack pings.
Text messages.
Ambient noise breaks your focus constantly.
You're always reactive, never proactive.
Result: Context-switching, shallow thinking.
You're a researcher but you follow fashion influencers.
You're a founder but you read hobby blogs.
Your feeds don't serve your actual work.
Result: Less relevant information, wasted time.
You subscribed to something 3 years ago.
It hasn't published in 2 years.
You keep it anyway.
Dead sources clutter your feed.
Result: Low signal-to-noise ratio.
Create a spreadsheet or document. List all sources:
Write them all down. Don't judge. Just list.
For each source, rate on 3 dimensions:
Alignment (1–5):
Quality (1–5):
Recency (1–5):
For each source: (Alignment + Quality + Recency) / 3
Result:
Which sources have you not engaged with in:
If you haven't consumed it in 3 months, it's not serving you.
Unsubscribe. Unfollow. Delete.
Sources you cannot miss.
These directly serve your work/interests.
Criteria:
Quantity: 5–10 sources max
Time: 30 min/week
Examples:
Sources that deepen your thinking.
Not urgent. But valuable.
Criteria:
Quantity: 10–20 sources
Time: 1 hour/week
Examples:
Sources that broaden perspective.
Not directly relevant. But useful context.
Criteria:
Quantity: 10 sources max
Time: 30 min/week optional
Examples:
Sources purely for enjoyment.
Low information value. High pleasure value.
Criteria:
Quantity: 5 sources max
Time: 1 hour/week optional
Examples:
Must-Read:
Should-Read:
Enrichment:
Avoid:
Total time: ~2 hours/week
Must-Read:
Should-Read:
Enrichment:
Avoid:
Total time: ~1.5 hours/week
Must-Read:
Should-Read:
Enrichment:
Avoid:
Total time: ~1 hour/week
Check "Essential" sources.
One source per day, 15 min max.
One essential source per day.
Total: 25 min/week on essential.
Review "Important" sources.
Skim headlines. Read 2–3 full articles.
Enrichment reading.
Enjoyable, slower-paced.
Check each source:
Remove anything that doesn't pass.
Find 2–3 new sources to try.
Remove 2–3 that aren't working.
Keep list fresh.
Full redesign based on how your role/interests have evolved.
Aggregate "Essential" and "Important" sources.
Scannable in one place.
Cost: Free or $5+/month
Save articles to read intentionally (not algorithmically).
Cost: Free or $45+/year
Get headlines filtered by topic.
Options: Feedly, Inoreader, or custom setup
Cost: Free or $5+/month
Route newsletters to folders.
Check intentionally, not reactively.
Cost: Built into Gmail/Outlook (free)
You have 100 newsletters.
You never read any of them.
You feel guilty.
Fix: Start with 10 sources. Add slowly. Remove liberally.
You use social media algorithmic feeds as primary news source.
Algorithm optimizes for engagement, not truth.
Fix: Use RSS or intentional newsletters instead.
You read passively.
No notes. No reflection. No action.
Fix: Read with purpose. Write one sentence: "Why does this matter?"
You treat entertainment sources like essential sources.
You feel overwhelmed.
Fix: Separate layers. Check essential first. Entertainment last.
Sources pile up.
You unsubscribe from nothing.
Fix: Monthly, remove 1 source that doesn't serve you.
Withdrawal. FOMO. Anxiety about what you're missing.
(This is normal. Resist.)
Clarity. Your information flow feels less noisy.
You have time to think between sources.
Better thinking. You can see patterns you couldn't before.
Recommendations from your sources feel more aligned.
Authority. You develop deep knowledge in your areas because intake is focused.
You become known for thoughtful opinions because you have time to think.
You are what you read.
Design your information diet intentionally:
Start this week:
In one month, your thinking will feel sharper. Your time will feel less fragmented. Your knowledge will be deeper.
For curation strategy, see Content Curation Complete Guide. For RSS workflow, check RSS Workflow 2025.
Choose your sources. Control your attention. Sharpen your thinking.
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