--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most information is time-consuming…" description: "\"“Most information is time-consuming, negative, irrelevant to your goals, and outside of your influence. I challenge you to look at whatever you read or..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/timothy-ferriss-973_data_most-information-is-time-consuming-negat_2218665.jpg" --- # Most information is time-consuming, negative, irrelevant… ![“Most information is time-consuming, negative, irrelevant to your goals, and outside of your influence. I challenge you to look at whatever you read or watched today and tell me that it wasn’t at least two of the four. I read the front-page headlines through” quote by Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/timothy-ferriss-973_data_most-information-is-time-consuming-negat_2218665.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/timothy-ferriss-973_data_most-information-is-time-consuming-negat_2218665.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/timothy-ferriss-973_data_most-information-is-time-consuming-negat_2218665.jpg) > ““Most information is time-consuming, negative, irrelevant to your goals, and outside of your influence. I challenge you to look at whatever you read or watched today and tell me that it wasn’t at least two of the four. I read the front-page headlines through”” [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We should filter information, focusing only on content that is useful, positive, relevant, and within our control. **In simple terms:** Avoid wasteful media; keep useful, positive, relevant. Key Takeaway Apply a 2‑out‑of‑4 filter to daily media. Themes productivity information overload focus control Mood critical determined reflective Type advice self‑help motivational When to use this quote - morning news - social media scrolling - email inbox - podcast listening Key Concepts filtering attention management goal alignment Questions to Reflect On - How can you quickly assess a piece of content for relevance? - What strategies help you stay within your influence? A Different Perspective Not all information can be neatly categorized; some may be ambiguous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) ## Related quotes > [You should never form judgments from front page headlines. As with a contract, the fine print on the inside pages should be carefully studied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/you-should-never-form-judgments-from-front-page-headlines-as-with-a/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [I've got it! I've got it! It'll make front-page headlines around the world. You can have me kidnapped, and then a couple of days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-ve-got-it-i-ve-got-it-it-ll-make-front-page-headlines-around-the/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [But what first motivated me wasn't anything I read. I just got mad seeing the machines ripping up the woods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/but-what-first-motivated-me-wasn-t-anything-i-read-i-just-got-mad-2/) [Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/) > [But what first motivated me wasn't anything I read. I just got mad seeing the machines ripping up the woods and so forth...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-kaczynski/but-what-first-motivated-me-wasn-t-anything-i-read-i-just-got-mad/) [Theodore Kaczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-kaczynski/) > [You can only make decisions with the information you have at the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/you-can-only-make-decisions-with-the-information-you-have-at-the-time/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I think we're all a party to this information all the time. It's every day, in a way we probably weren't a few years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/i-think-we-re-all-a-party-to-this-information-all-the-time-it-s-every/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [“People give out information all the time. You just have to know who to ask.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-griffin/people-give-out-information-all-the-time-you-just-have-to-know-who-to/) [Laura Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-griffin/) > [I really don't retain information - by the time I arrive wherever I'm going, I already forget what it is that I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-abramovich/i-really-don-t-retain-information-by-the-time-i-arrive-wherever-i-m/) [Roman Abramovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-abramovich/) > [The headline here is not that a woman exposed a breast. It is, rather, that a breast exposed a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-pitts/the-headline-here-is-not-that-a-woman-exposed-a-breast-it-is-rather/) [Leonard Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-pitts/) > [Today House Republicans are doing what they always do - using taxpayers' money to continue investigating claims that have already been debunked just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-cummings/today-house-republicans-are-doing-what-they-always-do-using-taxpayers/) [Elijah Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-cummings/) > [What I am anxious to do is to get the best bill possible with the least amount of friction… I wish to avoid \[splitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/what-i-am-anxious-to-do-is-to-get-the-best-bill-possible-with-the/) [William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/) > [I also like to use a sensational headline. Many people read blogs in aggregators, which generally show only the headline. So you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/i-also-like-to-use-a-sensational-headline-many-people-read-blogs-in/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [The headlines are never in the news! And so, what I am saying is the news is never on the headlines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sahndra-fon-dufe/the-headlines-are-never-in-the-news-and-so-what-i-am-saying-is-the/) [Sahndra Fon Dufe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sahndra-fon-dufe/) > [Soundbite and slogan, strapline and headline, at every turn we meet hyperbole. The soaring inflation of the English language is more urgently in need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-nunn/soundbite-and-slogan-strapline-and-headline-at-every-turn-we-meet/) [Trevor Nunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-nunn/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) ## More by Timothy Ferriss > [“First of all, if we’re serious all the time, we’ll wear out before we get the truly serious stuff done. Second, if this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/first-of-all-if-we-re-serious-all-the-time-we-ll-wear-out-before-we/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-is-the-book-or-books-you-ve-given-most-as-a-gift-and-why-or-what/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore? Nobody really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-advice-would-you-give-to-a-smart-driven-college-student-about-to/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center. Big, undreamed-of things—the people on the edge see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/out-on-the-edge-you-see-all-kinds-of-things-you-can-t-see-from-the/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“information without emotion isn’t retained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/information-without-emotion-isn-t-retained/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“Pure hell forces action, but anything less can be endured with enough clever rationalization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/pure-hell-forces-action-but-anything-less-can-be-endured-with-enough/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”? Most of the game is about persistence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-advice-would-you-give-to-a-smart-driven-college-student-about-to-2/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/don-t-aim-at-success-the-more-you-aim-at-it-and-make-it-a-target-the/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“conscious thinking is largely asking and answering questions in your own head. If you want confusion and heartache, ask vague questions. If you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/conscious-thinking-is-largely-asking-and-answering-questions-in-your/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“What bullshit excuses do you have for not going after whatever it is that you want? Please,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-bullshit-excuses-do-you-have-for-not-going-after-whatever-it-is/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“The fishing is best where the fewest go,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/the-fishing-is-best-where-the-fewest-go/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“Using people to leverage a refined process multiplies production; using people as a solution to a poor process multiplies problems.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/using-people-to-leverage-a-refined-process-multiplies-production/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“Being financially rich and having the ability to live like a millionaire are fundamentally two very different things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/being-financially-rich-and-having-the-ability-to-live-like-a/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“What are the top-three activities that I use to fill time to feel as though I’ve been productive? These are usually used to postpone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-are-the-top-three-activities-that-i-use-to-fill-time-to-feel-as/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [“The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/the-factory-of-the-future-will-have-only-two-employees-a-man-and-a/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) [Explore all 310 Timothy Ferriss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) ## More Data quotes > [Information is money, but data is squat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-llama-butler/information-is-money-but-data-is-squat/) Angela Llama-Butler > [“ data analytics consulting Perceptive Analtyics is a data analytic company and a trusted advisor to its clients across domains. Click to know more”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastianmax/data-analytics-consulting-perceptive-analtyics-is-a-data-analytic/) SebastianMax > [The information nation took their clues from all the sound bite gluttons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem/the-information-nation-took-their-clues-from-all-the-sound-bite/) [REM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [But actually theory is very practical. Gravity is a theory, for example. It allows you to predict that if you step off a cliff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/but-actually-theory-is-very-practical-gravity-is-a-theory-for-example/) [Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/) > [Statistics are like miniskirts: They give you good ideas but hide the important things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebbe-skovdahl/statistics-are-like-miniskirts-they-give-you-good-ideas-but-hide-the/) Ebbe Skovdahl > [Unlike return, however, risk is no more quantifiable at the end of an investment that it was at its beginning. Risk simply cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/unlike-return-however-risk-is-no-more-quantifiable-at-the-end-of-an/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Finding patterns is easy in any kind of data-rich environment; that's what mediocre gamblers do. The key is in determining whether the patterns represent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/finding-patterns-is-easy-in-any-kind-of-data-rich-environment-that-s/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We're living in a technological world. You cannot tell me we can't do a better job getting that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-re-living-in-a-technological-world-you-cannot-tell-me-we-can-t-do/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Web users ultimately want to get at data quickly and easily. They don't care as much about attractive sites and pretty design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/web-users-ultimately-want-to-get-at-data-quickly-and-easily-they-don/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [“The amount of stored information grows four times faster than the world economy, while the processing power of computers grows nine times faster. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/the-amount-of-stored-information-grows-four-times-faster-than-the/) [Viktor Mayer-Schönberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/) [Browse all 3,134 Data quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Most information is time-consuming, negative, irrelevant to your goals, and outside of your influence. I challenge you to look at whatever you read or watched today and tell me that it wasn’t at least two of the four. 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