I completely agree, the focus on what information will actually make a difference is the correct one.
And not coincidentally, that's also the trait that tends to separate top achievers in any field from those less successful (regardless of experience level or innate talent). Those that focus on what will make a difference outperform those…
I completely agree, the focus on what information will actually make a difference is the correct one.
And not coincidentally, that's also the trait that tends to separate top achievers in any field from those less successful (regardless of experience level or innate talent). Those that focus on what will make a difference outperform those that learn or act for other reasons or purposes.
But I'd argue that in a socially and emotionally responsible person, it's not just about what will make a difference to us personally. It's also about what will (or at least might) make a difference in someone else's life.
For example, when any of us write almost anything, the very act of writing may be enough to make a difference in our own lives. "Writing is thinking," and the understanding it brings may very well change how we behave in the future; that's definitely making a difference.
But that's the *writing*. We don't need to hit the publish button for us to benefit from that. (at least for those of us who don't monetize our writing). So, why do we hit publish? I'm sure that at least for some of us, the reason is that we hope it may make a difference for someone else- even if it's someone we don't know, and even if we can never know for sure what impact it had on anyone.
So, I believe this issue of intellectual bloat doesn't just apply to what information we consume. It also applies to what information we produce - as in actually publish. And for me at least, thinking in advance about what might actually make a difference in someone else's life is also a really good filter for deciding what to invest more of my intellectual calories in when choosing topics to write.
In addition to original posts, I think this also applies to which posts and notes we actually respond to and which we ignore. If I disagree with someone and tell them that, is there really any chance that I'm going to change their opinion (and thus make a difference to them)? And if not, why am I investing my precious time and intellectual calories to do it?
Although this is an unfinished thought, I'll try to close the loop with it since it may offer something that someone, somewhere finds valuable. I think deciding what topics we want to write about might also be a tool we can use filter what information we consume. If I'm never going to care enough about a topic or learn enough about it to write about it, is it really worth my time to consume information about it? So, as writers, we might be able to use our choice of writing topics to support our intellectual diets.
I completely agree, the focus on what information will actually make a difference is the correct one.
And not coincidentally, that's also the trait that tends to separate top achievers in any field from those less successful (regardless of experience level or innate talent). Those that focus on what will make a difference outperform those that learn or act for other reasons or purposes.
But I'd argue that in a socially and emotionally responsible person, it's not just about what will make a difference to us personally. It's also about what will (or at least might) make a difference in someone else's life.
For example, when any of us write almost anything, the very act of writing may be enough to make a difference in our own lives. "Writing is thinking," and the understanding it brings may very well change how we behave in the future; that's definitely making a difference.
But that's the *writing*. We don't need to hit the publish button for us to benefit from that. (at least for those of us who don't monetize our writing). So, why do we hit publish? I'm sure that at least for some of us, the reason is that we hope it may make a difference for someone else- even if it's someone we don't know, and even if we can never know for sure what impact it had on anyone.
So, I believe this issue of intellectual bloat doesn't just apply to what information we consume. It also applies to what information we produce - as in actually publish. And for me at least, thinking in advance about what might actually make a difference in someone else's life is also a really good filter for deciding what to invest more of my intellectual calories in when choosing topics to write.
In addition to original posts, I think this also applies to which posts and notes we actually respond to and which we ignore. If I disagree with someone and tell them that, is there really any chance that I'm going to change their opinion (and thus make a difference to them)? And if not, why am I investing my precious time and intellectual calories to do it?
Although this is an unfinished thought, I'll try to close the loop with it since it may offer something that someone, somewhere finds valuable. I think deciding what topics we want to write about might also be a tool we can use filter what information we consume. If I'm never going to care enough about a topic or learn enough about it to write about it, is it really worth my time to consume information about it? So, as writers, we might be able to use our choice of writing topics to support our intellectual diets.