Taming the Information Overload Tiger

The unprecedented proliferation of information-generating technology within the last generation has led to a world with no end to clutter, new data, and overloaded workers.

The amount of information continues to grow at a pace that industry leaders of decades back could not have foreseen, and it now pervades your entire being.

Many factors contribute to the overwhelmed feeling you experience when too much is competing for your attention. We were all taught from childhood that it’s important to keep up with the trends that might affect us. This mentality – forged in a time with comparatively little information – now meets a torrent of over-information that is impossible to keep up with, at work and at home and everywhere in between!

Re-Evaluate Old Ideas

To relieve the stress you have to re-evaluate the old ideas of “keeping up” and create new systems to deal with the clutter and information inundation. You also need some partitions between home and work (doubly so if you work at home!) Learn to forsake long-held ideas on handling clutter in favor of more practical approaches.

Today’s business professionals spend eight hours or more per day at their desks or in front of a screen, and then more time at home! Lack of organization contributes to both stress and diminished productivity. Yet, you can maintain an organized desk and feel more control over your life and your work. You’ll need to allocate 15 minute per day, as well as one solid hour every two weeks

Reading Galore

So much professional reading is required these days that it can consume hours on end if it isn’t properly managed. Add in the items you want to read, and, wow, the hours add up. So, it’s time to put reading management strategies into practice. If there is too much to read, get mean and discriminate – only ingest what’s most important, and leave the rest. The Internet can be an addictive time-waster or a helpful assistant -- either way, you’re going to spend considerable reading time there. Organization is as important online as in the physical office.

The proliferation of information in all forms will continue to grow exponentially, just as it has over the last few decades. To stay on top of things – and to keep your sanity – constantly carve out only that information that benefits you and let the rest fall into oblivion. With the right mindset, you can protect yourself from over-information!