We are exposed to thousands of random pieces of information each day, the vast majority of which we don't need to know, much less remember. As a survival tactic we start to take in little shallow unrelated bits of information which over time shortens our attention span, reduces our ability to listen and learn, and causes us stress.
Information is defined as "the communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence."
If we want to learn, we need to be ready and able to receive information, so it's probably more accurate to say we are bombarded by noise, rather than information - which would have to be provided at the right time and in the right context in order for us to gain knowledge.
A simple model of how we process information into knowledge is that knowledge is proportional to the ratio of information to noise. More information means more knowledge. Less noise means more knowledge. Except it isn't that simple, because more information can create more noise (the web is a good example) and a total absence of noise without any information might mean you are dead or at least really good at meditation.
Our intelligence is partially determined not just by our ability to filter out information from noise, but by our ability to shut out extraneous information (noise) so we can focus and learn.
Noise isn't just something that hurts your ears like the sound of a siren, airplane or jackhammer, it can include a television commercial for some drug where we aren't really sure what it's for but are directed to "ask your Doctor if _______ may be right for you", a significant amount of email we receive and possibly send, people talking when you are trying to learn/study/work or a million and one things that attract any of our senses. Noise isn't just external either, we generate noise as our brains jump from one thing to the next and back again.
We need survival tactics to help us focus.
Meditation, breathing practices and exercise can all help us quiet our minds.
Anything we can do to quiet and slow things down internally and externally helps give us the time and energy to put the pieces together to form meaningful thoughts.
Simply slowing down our pace when walking and eating can help.
Once we begin to quiet things down externally and internally we can practice lengthening our attention span by reading or listening for longer periods of time than what we are accustomed to. It's not easy because our culture is not about slowing down, we are encouraged to work, buy and consume, not to stop and think, but it's interesting to think every so often what the world would be like if that wasn't the case.
