The
Experiment

Just as the body feeds on food, the mind feeds on information. We want to experiment with the idea of "Intermittent Information Fasting" (IIF) to see if it can have restorative / regulative effects on our mental health, similar to the ways in which Intermittent Fasting has proven to be beneficial for physical health.

The purpose of the experiment is to more powerfully bring into awareness the fact that we consume and process information, and need not to do so constantly. Participants will have a chance to present their experience during an event in late January.

The Rules

Note: these will be refined further based on the kickoff discussion with all experiment participants. There is room for some flexibility in terms if required.

  1. Restrict window of time to consume information (“media”) to no more than 12 hours a day, picking a fixed window (e.g., 9 am-6 pm, 9 hours/day).

  2. "Media" includes any kind of consumable information in text, audio, or video. No screens, no books, no television, no music. No reading your old notes or viewing past creations.

  3. 7-day minimum experiment duration commitment; program window concludes on January 22, 2026.

  4. Reflections should be recorded daily. (Note: participants to determine a format for these daily reflections on the kickoff call.)

    Select Exceptions

    1. Daily reflections preferably done without using a screen, but if needed, an extra 45 min of screen time allowed ONLY for writing down daily reflections. The reflections will be published.

    2. Outside of the information consumption window, it is OK to pick up incoming phone calls and to engage with urgent tasks (work-related or otherwise). Nothing else should be done using the screen except for the these urgent tasks.

A big part of the experiment is to familiarize ourselves with the challenge of implementing this practice into our modern lifestyles.

Across a variety of careers, can we still engage productively with work and maintain a healthy social life if we're practicing IIF?

The
End Product

Participants will together create a super-simple, no-frills presentation, with a handful of slides sharing experiences and insights prior to the January-end event.

They will present this at Tusk & Quill’s 2026 Winter Seminar, on January 25th from 5:00 - 7:00 PM. Location details to be provided at a future date.

Participants will also engage in a panel Q&A following their presentation.

Participants will have the option of including their written reflections as part of public-facing content on Tusk & Quill’s website.