Welcome to The Friends Theory, the newsletter where we find meaning in sitcom chaos.

This week, we're facing something scarier than Rachel’s trifle: the constant flood of advice, hacks, hot takes, and must-knows that leave us more overwhelmed than informed.

3 min read

The One With the Information Overload

Insights from "The One Where Ross Got High" (Season 9, Episode 6)

“That’s a lot of information to get in thirty seconds,” says Judy Geller, hand to her forehead in that familiar gesture of overwhelm.

Thirty seconds, thirty minutes, thirty hours — same, Judy.

Because honestly? That’s how life feels lately. One endless scroll of advice, hacks, must-haves, should-dos, and “read this before it’s too late!” urgency.

Try this protein powder. Learn copywriting in a weekend. Build an AI agency, heal your inner child, do a headstand while you do it.

It’s so much that Rachel’s beef trifle is starting to sound... weirdly appealing.
(Jam? Good. Beef? Good. Custard? Goooooood. 😬)

Ever Been Here?

I used to think I was just staying “informed.”

Podcasts while I shower.
Music in the car.
Friends reruns while folding laundry (okay, that one’s still allowed).

But at some point, all the noise blurred into static.

I think I did notice.
I just didn’t want to admit it.

My wife said it out loud:
“How do you ever arrange your thoughts if you never let yourself hear them?”

She wasn’t being rude. She was being right.

Because here’s what I’m starting to realise:

So what happens when you actually stop feeding the addiction?

Try This On

Make space for doing… nothing.

And I mean nothing. No background podcast. No music. No “this could be content” inner monologue. Just… silence.
The boring kind.
The “just be” kind.

Maybe that’s easy for some people.
But for me? It was really hard.

I didn’t realise how uncomfortable I was with silence until I actually tried it.
Or more honestly… until someone else noticed I never did.

But when I finally let things go quiet — really quiet —
guess what happened?

• I had ideas

• I felt calm

• I noticed things

• I started hearing my own voice again. The one that doesn’t need a checklist or a strategy doc to know what’s right.

It wasn’t about screen time. It was about the algorithm in my head — the one feeding me so many opinions I forgot which ones were mine.

And the wildest part?

I feel like me. For the first time in a long time.

Clear. Energised. More inspired. More trusting. More certain.
Not because I figured it all out… but because I gave myself space to remember what I already knew.

Some more tools if you're feeling full of noise and hungry for clarity:

💌 From the Couch

You read my (slightly desperate) plea for replies….and you delivered 🤩. This week’s tip comes from JZ, who’s got a genius way to turn wardrobe chaos into clarity:

Got a tip? Hit reply and send it my way. I’d love to feature your brilliance on this little couch corner.

Final Thought

Maybe the bravest thing we can do in a world full of voices… is to finally listen to our own.

Not the curated version..
Not the clever one.
The one that’s already in there — under the noise and the scroll.

More sitcom overthinking next Tuesday. Until then, enjoy the silence… turns out Depeche Mode was onto something.

Lucy xx

Thanks for reading The Friends Theory. I appreciate you so much ❤️