Tier your information sources: 5-10 daily, 10-20 weekly, everything else on-demand
Create a three-tier source hierarchy—5-10 daily sources (Tier 1), 10-20 weekly sources (Tier 2), everything else checked only on specific need (Tier 3)—and review monthly, demoting sources that haven't changed your thinking.
Why This Is a Rule
Attention is finite; information sources are infinite. Without a hierarchy, all sources compete equally for your attention, and the most engaging (not the most valuable) sources win. A three-tier structure allocates daily attention to the highest-signal sources while preventing lower-signal sources from consuming prime cognitive time.
Tier 1 (5-10, daily): sources that consistently produce ideas you use. These are worth checking every day because they reliably shift your thinking. Tier 2 (10-20, weekly): sources that occasionally produce value. Worth a weekly scan but not a daily habit. Tier 3 (everything else, on-demand): sources you check only when you have a specific question. These include the vast majority of the internet.
The monthly review with demotion prevents tier inflation. Sources that felt Tier 1 when you discovered them may produce diminishing insight after months. "When did this source last change my thinking?" is the demotion test. If the answer is "not recently," demote it — free the daily attention slot for something with higher signal.
When This Fires
- Setting up or restructuring your information diet
- When information consumption feels overwhelming or low-value
- During monthly reviews when evaluating source quality
- When adding a new source and deciding how much attention to give it
Common Failure Mode
Tier 1 inflation: adding sources to the daily tier because they're interesting, without removing any. Within 6 months, Tier 1 has 30 sources and daily scanning takes 2 hours — which defeats the purpose of tiering. The 5-10 cap is firm. Adding a source to Tier 1 requires demoting one.
The Protocol
(1) List all your information sources (feeds, newsletters, sites, channels). (2) Classify by impact: Tier 1 (5-10 max, daily check) = consistently changes your thinking. Tier 2 (10-20, weekly scan) = occasionally valuable. Tier 3 (everything else) = on-demand only. (3) Configure consumption: Tier 1 in your daily workflow, Tier 2 in a weekly reading block, Tier 3 accessible but not scheduled. (4) Monthly: review each Tier 1 and 2 source against the test: "When did this last change my thinking?" No recent impact → demote one tier.