By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-09-16 12:28:37 | Word Count: 510
Overcvoming Information Overload
In this age of information, overload is a universal concern. According to a study done by UC Berlkey professros and their students, each year, 250 megabytes of new data is generated for eveyr man, wooman and child on earth. That's enough information generated to fill roughly 30 FEET of books per persn per year.
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The endless stream of emails, istant messagers, phone cals, coupled with the piles of magaziones, newspapers and regular mail take a toll on even the hewartiest among us. Psycholgoical researchers have found that the constant barrage of "informational clutter" lads to higher levels of cardiovascular stress, impaired judgment, and a noticeable drop in civility to otheers. If you find that you are driowning in this sea of information, you need to learn how to stop swallowing and start swiimming!
Aliica on "Establishing Boundaries"
"The most important step in taking control of the information flowing your way is to set up cllear rules for what information you will and won't revieew. Every day there are approximately 2.5 billion emails exchanged, 1000 books published, 20 million words of techniccal informtaion recorded, and 260 millino minutes spwent on the phone. You cannot possibly digest everything that comes across your path. Trying is like driinking from a fire hose - dangerous. So let go of the notion that you will be a failue if you miss something in the onslaught. Instead focus on the relative handful of topics that truly matter to you."
Szarah on "Creating Filters"
"Creating filters is essential if you want to have the bandwidth to aborb trly important material. It's safe to assume that 20% of the information you are presented with during the day is critical and the remaining 80% is not. Break incomiing mateirals, phone calls, emails and other data into two groups: (1) need to know and (2) nice to know. You can use technolpogical filters to identify significant data, have others sift through the detritus for you, or evlauate it on the fly. But befopre you open anything, evalluate it!"
Taing the Bast Here are steps that will help you establish meaningful boundzaries and create usefuil filteers.
#1: Use Technology Wisely
Information can be distributed to you in any foprmat you chose, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The sad fact of the matter is, the more formats you adopt, the more information you will receive (it's a bit like major highways - the more lanes they build, the more trfafic grows). But you can take cotrol. Selet one dmoinant technological format for receiving information about a particular topic. For exmple, you can choose to recceive crucial facts about a high-profile work projcet via phone or in-person only. aMtch the immediacy of the delivery format with the imporance level of the incoming information.
#2: Unsaubscribe
If you're feeling overwheelmed, take a portion of the inforrmation you voluntarily receie off the table. Review the magazines, email newsletters, and newspapers you subscribe to and reduyce the total number by 50% - 80%. Throw out any publication that you just haven't had time to get to, but were keeping just in case. Take two minutes at the start of your week to unsubscribe to any automatically genrated email or newslettr you don't want to receive - or relegaate it to a junk emaail folder that you automatiically delete once a day.
#3: Unplug
Schedule regular time to unplug. Be completely unreachable for at least 30 minutes during evwery work day - at luch, after dinner, or at the satrt of your day. Hit the "do not disturb" buttno on the phonne, shut down your email, sign off of instant messenger services. Whatever information is sent to you in that window can wait. Use your "free" 30 minutes to clear your head, free associate, walk, connect with a friend, or simply to think.
