I noticed something recently that bothered me.And everyone I talk to is experiencing the same thing.
We can’t focus like we used to. Our memory feels unreliable. Concentration takes effort that used to come naturally.
At first, I wondered if something was wrong with me. Then I looked at the numbers. And realized the actual problem isn’t me. It’s not you either.
The world actually changed.
Here’s what I found out: A hundred years ago, in the 1900s, information doubled every 100 years.
Think about that. People could memorize entire novels and poems. Their memories were sharp because information changed slowly enough for our brains to keep up.
By the mid-1900s, around 1945, information started doubling every 25 years. Still manageable. Still within the range of human comprehension.
But here’s where it gets wild.
Today information is doubling every 8 hours.
Every. Eight. Hours.
The amount of information coming at us is doubling three times a day.
We’re “Amazon Priming” everything now. Articles, emails, PDFs, contracts, reports, we don’t have time to actually read and absorb them anymore.
Our to-do lists keep growing faster than we can check things off.
So what do we do?
We speed-date content. We skim, scan, and try to extract just enough to keep moving.
And that’s why we can’t retain information anymore.
We’re not designed for this.
The Irony Nobody Expected
Here’s the twist no one saw coming…
The same information overload that’s fragmenting our attention is actually powering artificial intelligence.
AI thrives on massive amounts of data. The explosion of information, from social media, commerce sites, IoT devices, is exactly what these systems need to function.
So AI is getting smarter while we’re getting more scattered.
AI has fundamentally democratized all the data in the world. We’re now one prompt away from accessing almost any information that exists.
But here’s the critical part: AI has not democratized intelligence or wisdom.
And that’s why what you do still matters. That’s why how you think still matters.
What You Can Do About It
I’m not going to tell you to disconnect from technology or go live in a cabin. That’s not realistic for most of us.
But I am going to tell you this: You need to teach yourself, and your children, discernment.
Just because something is on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true.
Just because AI gives you an answer doesn’t mean it’s accurate.
Just because information is available doesn’t mean it’s valuable.
We’re all swimming in an ocean of information, but we’re starving for wisdom.
Here’s what helps me:
Create intentional focus time. Block out periods where you actually engage with one thing deeply instead of skimming ten things superficially.
Question what you consume. Don’t just absorb information. Ask: Does this make sense? Does this align with what I know? What’s the source?
Use AI to outsource tasks, not critical thinking. Let AI handle the volume. Let it summarize, organize, filter. But don’t let it do your thinking for you.
Teach discernment like a core skill. For your team, your children, yourself. The ability to separate signals from noise is becoming the most valuable skill we have.
You’re not losing your mind. You’re not getting less intelligent.
You’re a human being trying to navigate a world where information multiplies faster than any brain was designed to handle.
But once you understand what’s happening, you can stop blaming yourself and start developing strategies to work this new reality instead of fighting against it.
The world changed. We don’t need to keep up, we need to wise up
What’s your biggest struggle with information overload? How are you managing it?
I’d love to hear what’s working (or not working) for you.
Until next time,
Sol