Information Paralysis: When Learning Becomes the Excuse

The internet is really, really good for learning.

Almost too good.

Whatever you want to know, somebody has probably written about it, made a video about it, recorded a podcast about it or written a book about it.

Audible is great. Kindle is great. YouTube is extraordinary. And now we have AI sitting there ready to answer the next question before we’ve finished thinking about the last one.

But there’s a trap in all of this.

Information paralysis.

I fell into it myself.

You keep learning. You keep researching. You watch another video. Read another article. Download another book. Ask another question.

And it feels productive.

That’s the dangerous bit.

Because eventually you can have an enormous amount of information and still have done absolutely nothing with it.

Knowing isn't doing

I've never had the traditional academic background.

I finished Year 11 and went to work. Much of what I've learned since then has come through doing things, making mistakes, working things out and being willing to have another go.

At the Automobile Club of Victoria, I was involved in taking processes that had been done on paper and moving them into electronic systems.

Later in my career I was working with sales targets of US$14 million.

When I built my photography business, I took it from around $75,000 turnover to about $250,000.

None of those things happened because I managed to collect every piece of information first.

At some point, I had to do something.

And that's the distinction I've come back to.

Information is useful when it helps you move.

When gathering information becomes a substitute for moving, you've got a problem.

Start with the destination

The first thing you've got to do is work out what you actually want to do.

Set the goal.

Then work towards it.

It sounds ridiculously simple, but look at how easily we reverse that process now.

We consume hundreds of ideas hoping that somewhere amongst them we'll discover what we should do.

Another photographer tells us the lens we need.

Another creator tells us the platform we need.

Another business expert gives us their five steps.

Another productivity guru gives us a new system.

Pretty soon we've got 27 possible ways of doing something we haven't actually started.

I've done it.

The answer isn't necessarily another piece of information.

Sometimes the answer is closing the browser.

Information needs a purpose

I'm certainly not arguing against learning. At 60, I'm probably more curious than I've ever been.

I still read. I still watch. I still ask questions.

But I'm increasingly interested in asking a different question:

What am I going to do with this?

If I can't answer that, perhaps I don't need another three hours of research.

Maybe I already know enough to make the next decision.

Not the perfect decision.

Just the next one.

And if it's wrong?

Fine.

I'll have learned something from actually doing it.

That's information too.

Except this time, it's mine.

Pete George

See with Purpose. Share with Heart.