When reading less teaches you more

My friend recently decided to start going to the gym regularly to build strength and improve his overall fitness. He didn’t have any experience with lifting weights, so he Google searched to attempt to find a guide on how to work out for beginners. He was met with a multitude of sources containing conflicting advice:

Especially for someone trying to get into working out, the contradictory spread of advice makes decisions difficult. While each individual website or YouTube channel may provide a perfectly valid workout program, browsing through multiple sources makes it hard and time consuming to develop a program.

Reading or skimming multiple articles that appear after a Google search is tempting and seems logical, as one might think that would present a balanced viewpoint and ensure that a single poorly written source will not corrupt the reader’s opinion. But in practice, the reader is left confused by too much information, all of which might have some truth but when put together only lead to confusion. In this scenario, the more efficient way to develop a workout program would be to find a single good source. For example, if someone was trying to lift weights, they could pick a book about weight lifting, or if they wanted to run, they could read an issue of the Runner’s Magazine with an article for beginning runners. Both sources would provide a single, coherent viewpoint that would prove less confusing, less conflicting, and more informative than browsing the internet.

So how can someone find a single source that takes care all of their needs for that topic? This depends on the topic, but it is often appropriate to search for an expert’s opinion on the topic. A single source containing an expert opinion can be found by reading a book from a reputable author, reading an article by a trusted writer, or watching a video from someone with experience in the field. These sources will generally provide accurate information in the relevant area.

For example, an article where a professional soccer player discusses their workout routine would be a valuable source for someone who wanted to become a more competitive soccer player. In this example, an aspiring competitive soccer player could read many articles from different people that all have valid viewpoints about how to improve fitness and soccer skills, but this could be confusing because there are many correct ways to play soccer or anything else, and the information clutter associated with reading too many viewpoints can make it harder to start making progress. If the soccer player instead only read a single player’s workout plan, he or she would have a straightforward and uncluttered view on how to improve their skills. In this scenario, reading less about how to be a great soccer player would teach them more than if they were to spend a lot of time reading different sources.

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