Minimize the Tickers
Treat information like a drug and remove anything that flashes red or green
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 80%
Wilkinson argues that people are stressed only by problems they're aware of, and the internet floods an anxious brain with all the world's problems at once, manufacturing a false narrative that everything is terrible when really something is always terrible somewhere. Because anxiety acts as a homing beacon that migrates from finances to health to politics, the fix is environmental, not willpower-based. He treats himself like a drug addict: you wouldn't keep alcohol in the house if you were quitting, so he removes access. His phone is locked down with an app like Opal, his girlfriend holds the screen-time password, email and news are blocked on mobile, compulsive apps are capped at a set number of sessions per day, and use ends after a certain hour. The deeper goal is to have as few 'tickers' as possible, anything that can flash red or green, so he can stay present and think only about what he chooses to.
Origin
Extracted from Andrew Wilkinson's routines described in this interview, developed alongside his SSRI use as a way to manage a naturally anxious, problem-seeking mind after becoming wealthy.
Core principles
- 01You are only stressed by problems you're aware of
- 02Human brains aren't built to track all the world's problems at once
- 03Anxiety is a homing beacon that will find something to fixate on
- 04Treat compulsive inputs like an addict treats alcohol: remove access
- 05The fewer things in your life that go red or green, the more present you can be
How to run it
- 1
Inventory your tickers
List everything in your life that can flip to good or bad in real time: news, social feeds, stock apps, notifications.
- 2
Remove access, don't rely on willpower
Treat compulsive inputs like an addict treats alcohol and eliminate the supply rather than trying to resist it.
Pro tip Wilkinson blocks email and news entirely on his phone so the screen just goes blank when he tries.
- 3
Outsource the lock
Hand your screen-time or app password to someone else so you can't quietly override your own limits.
Pro tip Use a tool like Opal to enforce the boundaries technically.
- 4
Cap sessions and set a curfew
Allow yourself a fixed number of daily sessions on beneficial-but-addictive apps, and cut off use entirely after a set time.
Pro tip Wilkinson allows five sessions of Twitter a day, then stops, and bans it after a certain hour.
- 5
Stop revaluing what doesn't need a price
Avoid tracking assets that fluctuate constantly; like a house that quietly changes value, your net worth doesn't need a live ticker.
Pro tip Wilkinson lost $50 million on paper in a day and felt nothing because he treats it as just a number.
In the wild
After taking his company public, Wilkinson faced a live stock price that could swing wildly. He compares it to a house, your biggest investment for most people, which changes value daily but has no ticker, so you feel nothing. By refusing to watch the number, he lost $50 million on paper one day and genuinely felt nothing, treating it as just a number rather than letting it hijack his mind.
→ Emotional insulation from volatile external metrics and greater day-to-day presence.
Common mistakes
Relying on willpower instead of removing access
An anxious brain will always find its way back; leaving the alcohol in the house guarantees relapse, so eliminate the supply.
Keeping live tickers you don't need
Watching things that flash red or green, like a stock price or net worth, feeds anxiety with volatility that changes nothing about your actual life.
Is it for you?
Best for
Hypervigilant, anxious, or curious people who spiral when exposed to unlimited information.
Not ideal for
People who are genuinely disengaged and need more information intake, not less.
From the transcript
“I actually treat myself like a drug addict I say um you know if you were trying to get off alcohol you wouldn't keep a…”
“my goal is to have as few tickers in my life as possible and what I mean by that is like news social media anything…”
From the episode
How To Stop Feeling Like Your Success Is Never Enough - Andrew Wilkinson - #818
Andrew Wilkinson