Thinking Fast & Slow — What to Ignore, What to Notice
On protecting your slow mind in a fast world
When I was a kid, the world was smaller.
Information arrived in a single stream: the 11 p.m. news. Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty. Weather, local events, and one international headline. Then it was over. The anchor signed off. The world fell silent again. And I—without knowing it—was protected by that quiet.
Today, the world never turns off. It invades every screen we own. Every headline screams. Every swipe demands attention. Every platform asks your brain to decide, react, absorb, evaluate, and choose.
It’s no wonder so many of us—especially the neurodivergent—walk around feeling overwhelmed, underslept, and overstimulated.
This is Daniel Kahneman’s world brought to life:
System 1 — fast, reactive, impulsive.
System 2 — slow, thoughtful, deliberate.
The problem? Modern life forces us to live in System 1 all the time. We are drowning in signals designed for speed, not depth. And System 2—our slow mind, our wise mind—barely gets air.
The Big Idea
If you don’t consciously choose what to ignore, the world will choose for you.
For neurodivergent brains, this choice isn’t just helpful—it’s survival. Our processing is deep. Our attention is immersive. Our nervous systems are porous. We don’t skim life; we absorb it.
So the question becomes: How do you protect your slow thinking in a fast-thinking world?
Kahneman doesn’t say this explicitly, but his ideas make the answer clear: You filter life not by limiting yourself, but by not engaging with noise in the first place.
This is a subtle but powerful distinction.
Most advice sounds like:
“Set boundaries.”
“Limit screen time.”
“Stop checking your phone.”
“Cut down on news.”
For neurodivergent people, these instructions often backfire because they register as demands—and demands create resistance, guilt, or reactive avoidance.
But non-engagement is different. It’s simply choosing not to enter the arena.
My Experiment in Non-Engagement
I stopped watching the news altogether.
Not because I’m uninformed. Not because I’m in denial. But because the engagement was the real problem, not the information.
Now, I scan headlines. If something requires my attention, I’ll read deeper. Otherwise: not my circus, not my monkeys.
I also don’t engage with celebrity gossip (never have). And lately, I’ve been asking: What else can I choose not to engage with?
There was a moment when I thought, ‘Should I remove every TV from the house?’ I admire people who can do that. But my reality is different: I live with other humans who watch television. I love a good documentary. And on nights when my thoughts get loud, TV becomes medication—a soft distraction that keeps the dark from spiraling.
My guilty pleasure? Ancient Aliens. I try to stay awake for it. I never make it past five minutes.
Something to Consider
Here’s an idea worth trying:
Pick one source of information overload and decide not to engage with it.
Not limit. Not to fight with. Not resist. Just…don’t enter.
Maybe it’s:
Political commentary
Endless productivity hacks
Celebrity scandals
Group texts
Opinion threads
Algorithmic outrage
Constant “breaking news”
Choose one. Let it fall away. Create space for your slow mind to breathe again.
Your brain will thank you. Your nervous system will thank you. Your future self will thank you.
What’s one thing you’re considering letting go of—or what’s already helped you create more space? I’d love to learn from you. Hit reply and let me know.