Ever feel like you're drowning in information? It is impossible to escape the deluge of information coming at us on any given day. According to Mark Nelson of Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, "more new information has been produced within the last three decades than in the last five millennia." No wonder we're in overload when it comes to information.
The amount of available information keeps increasing while the time available to absorb it is limited. It can be overwhelming trying to process the non-stop email, phone calls, instant messages, text messages and 24-hour live news coverage - not to mention the never-ending stream of newspapers, magazines, books, mail and other publications.
Information is knowledge and can be a powerful resource. The objective is obviously not to eliminate information, but to find a balance in managing and using all the information available to us.
Here are some things I'm doing to better manage information overload:
- Unsubscribing to lists and publications I rarely read
- Asking friends not to include me in their "Forwards"
- Using filters to flag Spam and unwanted messages
- Using folders to organize messages
- Keeping fewer email messages in my Inbox
- Thinking before sending email responses that are unnecessary
- Setting aside a specific time each day to catch up on email and calls
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