The Information Diet: Tracking Your Intake

You’ve probably heard of food journals — helpful tools for tracking what we eat to help us make healthier choices. But have you ever considered tracking everything else you consume?

Every day, we take in an avalanche of information — news, shows, movies, conversations, podcasts, social media. Like food, some of it nourishes us, while some weighs us down, resulting in anxiety and exhaustion.

But because food consumption is tangible (we see it, eat it, and clearly feel its effects) we often overlook how our information diet impacts our mental and emotional well-being.

But what if we tracked our information intake the same way we track food?

How to Do It

For each piece of content or experience you absorb, write down:

✔️ What you consumed (e.g., scrolling Instagram, watching a documentary, chatting with a friend)
✔️ How long you engaged with it
✔️ How it made you feel

To quantify how it makes you feel, use the following scale:

🔴 Extremely Draining (-2)
Leaves you feeling deeply anxious, frustrated, exhausted, or hopeless. (e.g., doomscrolling distressing news, having a toxic conversation, engaging in social media arguments).
🟠 Somewhat Draining (-1)
Lowers your energy or mood but not overwhelmingly so. (e.g., mindless scrolling, participating in mildly negative gossip, reading a stressful email).
⚪ Neutral (0)
Has little to no emotional impact; feels like background noise. (e.g., watching a basic instructional video, reading a technical article, engaging in small talk).
🟢 Somewhat Uplifting (+1)
Boosts your mood, sparks mild curiosity, or provides a small sense of comfort. (e.g., listening to a podcast about your hobby, looking at a funny meme, catching up with a friend).
🔵 Extremely Uplifting (+2)
Leaves you feeling inspired, energized, or deeply fulfilled. (e.g., having a meaningful conversation, reading a motivating book, working on a project).

Tallying Your Score:

At the end of each day, calculate your total by adding up all your scores. A positive score means your intake was uplifting, while a negative score means it was more draining than nourishing.

Example Journal Entry:

Total Score: -1 (The information intake was slightly draining today.)

Reflecting on the Numbers

Once you have your scores, reflect on what they reveal about your information diet. This exercise isn’t just about tracking what you consume; it’s about understanding how it impacts your well-being and taking actionable steps to improve it.

For example, if your total score is negative, as in the case above, it may indicate that a significant portion of your day was spent consuming draining content. By reviewing the individual scores, you can identify which activities or sources had the most negative impact.

In this example, activities marked as Extremely Draining (scrolling and arguing) are red flags. These activities left them feeling depleted. By recognizing this, they can avoid these activities, or limit their exposure.

On the other hand, activities marked Extremely Uplifting (conversations with a friend, listening to a podcast, or journaling) boosted their mood and energy. Making more room for these uplifting experiences can help steer them in a healthier direction.

Final Thought

By consistently tracking and reflecting on your information diet, you can gain valuable insight into how different types of content influence your emotions and mental state.

This awareness empowers you to make more intentional choices about what you consume, leading to a more balanced and nourishing life.

Try it for a week and see if it helps.

This is one of the exercises I use with my Hexis Coaching clients, guiding them to take clear, actionable steps toward becoming their best selves.