Have you ever wondered how to tune out the noise of constant information that is in your life?

By noise, I mean the bombardment of images, sounds, marketing messages, pop-ups, and other annoying things calling for your attention.

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And the sad thing is that you don’t even realize it is happening. It has become the norm for you. For me. For everyone in our western society.

I recently made a trip to Tennessee to visit some of my family.

As I drove through different cities, the bill boards, large malls, and businesses surrounding the highway were screaming at me for my attention.

Once I reached rural Kentucky, the scenery was more serene. The beauty of God’s creation was all around me. My soul sighed. My stress level reduced.

Mountains and greenery enveloped the highway as it snaked its way through the middle of the state.

Reaching my destination in Tennessee, I marveled at the serene bed and breakfast I had found to stay in.

The front porch swing beckoned to me to sit and relax.

The quiet setting immediately calmed my spirit as I opened my Bible to meet my Lord there.

In every direction that I looked, there was no advertisement anywhere. Just beautiful scenery and farm animals to enjoy looking at.

On my way driving down, I listened to the book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World [affiliate link] by Joanna Weaver. How appropriate for my little trip that involved “slowing down” from the busyness of life and reflecting on Jesus and my family connections down south.

Here are some tips I have learned to tune out the noise of constant information:

1. Start each day with a personal time with the Lord – reading the Bible, praying, and journaling. This helps me to get in perspective what is the most important in my life – my relationship to Jesus – and ask Him to write upon my day.
2. Do not allow the hurry sickness to creep into your day. Hurrying brings stress and even accidents. Once I realized that I do not need to hurry, it helped my stress level to reduce. Whenever I am doing something and feel the urge to “hurry and do something else,” I resist that urge and I think to myself: “I am doing right now exactly what I am suppose to be doing.” This even helps when stuck in traffic or when a client needs a listening ear on the phone. Read my post  that compares an egret to the squirrel.
3. Be in control of your email inbox. Actually this is hard for me, but I am getting better at closing down my email program so I can concentrate on my work at hand. I tend to want that “buzz” of receiving an email and reading it right away.
4. Control time on social media and specifically Facebook. Have set times to check it and interact, but be just as diligent to close it out and move on to more productive tasks.
5. Go for a walk in nature away from all advertising. Even a walk through my neighborhood is therapeutic and helps me to rise above information overload.
6. Turn off the radio when driving. Spending time talking to the Lord or to the ones I am in the car with helps me refocus on the people in my life rather than to do lists and marketing strategies. I also like to listen to scripture cds in the car. I am on my second time of listening through the entire Bible that way.
7. Stand by the recycle bin when going through the mail and throw away junk mail without even opening it. Have you ever pondered how little things like junk mail can steal away your time and focus? Do you really need to know how much that lawn treatment will cost if you have no intention of hiring a lawn treatment service? That is what I thought!
8. Schedule a retreat or just a day of reflection to renew and refresh yourself and your direction in life. Oh how I love to do this. I have a friend who lives on a lake who lets me “borrow” their house when they are out of town for my own personal retreat. Even if you can’t actually get away, take a blanket and go sit under a tree in your yard and luxuriate in God’s love for you.
9. End each day with scripture and talking to the Lord. How we end our day is just as important as how we begin it! What do you think about as you lie in bed awaiting the sandman? Make it a point to review some scripture verses and talk to your Father one last time before sleep. It’s a great way to tune out the noise of constant information and center your thoughts on Jesus.

Psalm 46:10a reminds us: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (ESV) That is a great reminder as we seek to tune out the noise of constant information and truly know our God.

First published: May 2016

Updated: Sep. 2020