How to Stop Information Overload and Get More Done
Blogger, published author, and founder of a site that'south all well-nigh delivering online concern communication Read full profile
Information overload is a creature that has been growing on the Internet's back since its ancestry. The bigger the Internet gets, the more than data there is. The more quality information we see, the more we want to consume it. The more than we want to swallow it, the more overloaded we feel.
This has to stop somewhere. And it tin can.
Every bit the yr comes to a close, there'due south no time similar the nowadays to make the overloading stop.
But before I explain exactly what I mean, let'due south discuss information overload in general.
Tabular array of Contents
- How Serious Is Data Overload?
- Why Data Overload Is Bad for You
- How to Terminate Data Overload (And Start to Reach More)
- Summing It Upwards
- More Resources About Boosting Brain Power
How Serious Is Data Overload?
The sole fact that in that location'due south more and more than data published online every single day is not the actual trouble. Only the quality information becomes the problem.
This sounds kind of foreign…but bear with me.
When we encounter some half-baked web log posts nosotros don't even consider reading, nosotros just skip to the side by side matter. But when we see something truly interesting — mayhap even epic — we want to consume it.
We even feel like nosotros have to eat it. And that's the real problem.
No affair what topic we're interested in, there are e'er hundreds of quality blogs publishing entries every single day (or every other day). Not to mention all the forums, message boards, social news sites, and so on.
The amount of epic content on the Internet these days is then big that it's near impossible for us to digest it all. But we try anyhow.
That's when we experience overloaded. If you lot're not careful, one day y'all'll find yourself reading the 15th web log post in a row on some nice WordPress tweaking techniques because y'all feel that for some reason, "you lot demand to know this."
Data overload is a plague. At that place's no vaccine, in that location's no cure. The only thing you have is self-command.
Luckily, you're not on your ain. There are some tips y'all can follow to protect yourself from data overload and, ultimately, fight it.
Only commencement, admit that data overload is actually bad for yous.
Why Data Overload Is Bad for Yous
Data overload stops you from taking action. That'due south the biggest trouble here.
When you lot endeavor to consume more and more information every mean solar day, you commencement to detect that fifty-fifty though yous've been reading tons of articles, watching tons of videos and listening to tons of podcasts, the stream of incoming information seems to be infinite.
Therefore, you lot convince yourself that you demand to be on a constant lookout man for new information if y'all want to be able to attain anything in your life, work and/or passion. The last upshot is that you are consuming way too much data, and taking manner also piddling activenessbecause you don't have enough fourth dimension for information technology.
The belief that you need to exist on this constant lookout for data is just not true.
You don't need every piece of advice possible to live your life, do your piece of work or enjoy your passion.
How to Stop Data Overload (And Commencement to Achieve More)
So how to recognize the portion of information that you lot really demand? Offset with setting goals.
1. Ready Your Goals
If you don't have your goals put in identify, you lot'll exist just running around grabbing every possible advice and thinking that it'due south "just what you've been looking for."
Setting goals is a much more than profound task than just a manner to get rid of data overload. Now by "goals" I don't hateful things like "go rich, have kids, and live a good life". I mean something much more within your immediate grasp. Something that can be achieved in the near hereafter — like within a month (or a year) at nigh.
Basically, something that you desire to attract to your life, and you already have some programme on how yous're going to brand information technology happen. So no hopes and dreams, just actionable, precise goals.
And so once you take your goals, they go a gear up of strategies and tactics you need to deed upon.
two. Know What to Skip When Facing New Information
In one case yous have your goals, plans, strategies and tasks, you can utilise them to determine what information is really crucial.
Starting time of all, if the information y'all're about to read has nothing to exercise with your electric current goals and plans, then skip information technology. You don't demand it.
If it does, so ask yourself these questions:
- Volition yous be able to put this information into activeness immediately?
- Does information technology have the potential to perhaps change your nearest actions/tasks?
- Is information technology so incredible that y'all absolutely need to accept activeness on it right away?
If the information is not actionable in a day or 2, then skip it.
(You'll forget virtually it anyway.) And that's basically information technology.
Digest just what can be used immediately. If you lot have a job that you lot need to do, consume but the data necessary for getting this one task washed, nothing more.
Y'all need to be focused in order to take clear judgment, and be able to decide whether some piece of information is mandatory or redundant.
Self-command comes handy also. Information technology'due south quite like shooting fish in a barrel to convince yourself that yous really need something but considering of poor self-control. Try to fight this temptation, and exist as ruthless about it every bit possible – if the information is not matching your goals and plans, and you tin't have activity on information technology in the near futurity, then SKIP IT.
three. Exist Aware of the Minimal Effective Dose
There's a affair chosen the MED – Minimal Effective Dose. I was first introduced to this idea by Tim Ferriss. In his book The 4-Hour Body,Tim illustrates the minimal constructive dose past talking about medical drugs.
Everybody knows that every pill has a MED, and after that specific dose, no other positive furnishings occur, just some negative side effects if you overdose big.
Consuming data is somewhat similar. You lot need just a precise corporeality of it to aid you to achieve your goals and put your plans into life.
Everything more than that amount won't improve your results whatsoever further. And if you effort to eat too much of it, it will somewhen stop you from taking any activeness altogether.
four. Don't Procrastinate by Consuming More Data
Probably 1 of the most mutual causes of consuming ridiculous amounts of information is the need to procrastinate. Past reading withal another article, we often feel that we are indeed working, and that nosotros're doing something good – we're learning, which in result will make the states a more consummate and educated person.
This is just self-charade. The truth is we're simply procrastinating. Nosotros don't experience like doing what really needs to be washed – the of import stuff – so instead we notice something else, and convince ourselves that "that thing" is equally important. Which is just non true.
Don't consume data just for the sake of information technology. It gets you nowhere.
The focus of this article is non on how to stop procrastinating, but if you're having such issue, I recommend you read this: Procrastination – A Step-By-Pace Guide to Stop Procrastinating
Summing It Upward
As you can run into, data overload tin can exist a existent problem and information technology can have a sever impact on your productivity and overall performance.
I know I take had my share of problems with it (and probably all the same take from time to time). But creating this simple set of rules helps me to fight it, and to proceed my lizard brain from taking over.
I hope it helps you likewise, especially as we caput into a new twelvemonth with a new risk at setting ourselves upwardly for success.
More Resources About Boosting Brain Power
- How Ataxia Drains Your Brain (and What You Can Exercise About It)
- Re-learn How to Learn in the Information Historic period
- How to Employ the Low Information Diet for Better Day-to-Twenty-four hours Productivity
- 10 Uncomplicated Productivity Tricks To Manage Overloaded Information
Featured photo credit: Pexels via pexels.com
Source: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-to-fight-information-overload.html
0 Response to "How to Stop Information Overload and Get More Done"
Post a Comment