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How Do We Stop Information Overload?

Posted by: Dave Peck | Posted on: January 10th, 2011 | 10 Comments

Email, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube and everything else.  With so many different places to get information it seems to me, we are getting to the point of information overload. With everyone having a smartphone and/or a tablet, there is rarely a moment you do not have access to information.  Simply put we are just being constantly hit with streams of incoming information.

Information overload is defined as “when a person can have difficulty understanding an issue and making decisions that can be caused by the presence of too much information.”  At some point it just becomes to much to process for a person.

  • Is it Overload or the Inability to Filter?: Are we actually getting information we do not need or information we do need, but maybe not right now?

All this information not being filtered properly  can lead to things like:

  • Loss of Productivity: With too  much information coming at us it is very easy to  get lost in the details. We end up wasting  time focusing on unimportant information and lose sight of our true  goal and purpose. This extra data distracts away from our major tasks for the day. How often have you turned on your computer to check email, and ended up surfing the net for hours?
  • Extra Noise : These different sources of information creates noise in our minds.  This just makes it even harder to concentrate and stay on task.
  • Loss of Time:  There are only so many hours in a day. Sometimes I just find myself spending a lot of my time just reviewing and looking at all this incoming information. A lot of this information is unwanted, low priority or just not needed.
  • Always Being On: I found that if I am constantly consuming information, all the time. At work, home, car, at kids events and even at the dinner table. Im missing out on things around me.

So, this leads to a question: How do you process all this information? What do you wish you had to help you do it?

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  • Pattie Mercier

    If you find the answer, please let me know! I do believe that it is important to control not only how we are receiving information but also WHEN we are receiving information. We are now accustomed to having our smart phones with us 24/7 and are expected by many to respond instantly…..

  • http://twitter.com/PattieMercier Pattie Mercier

    If you find the answer, please let me know! I do believe that it is important to control not only how we are receiving information but also WHEN we are receiving information. We are now accustomed to having our smart phones with us 24/7 and are expected by many to respond instantly….

  • Paul

    Good editors, producers, and writers will become even more important in processing the information.

  • http://www.birenshah.com Biren34

    I think one of my hardest challenges with this is deciding what information I want. I grew up with an idea that I should be well-rounded and up on current events–especially politics. Yet, as I pursue my goals, this just isn’t possible. How do I solve the problem of being an informed voter and pursue my financial/personal goals? In other areas of life, I’d delegate the problem–I haven’t found a viable way to do that yet.

    But I think the answer lies in there somewhere–how do we decide what information are needed by our values (and how much of it is useful)? And how do we make sure other things we care of handled?

  • Stacy @TheZenGirl

    The key to stopping information overload is self-discipline. I find that writing my task list and prioritizing using the 80/20 rule in the morning *before* checking my phone or computer is crucial. If the task is research-oriented, I give myself a time limit or a number of articles to read, twitterers to follow, etc. and quality control. That way, I keep myself in check when I start to feel information overload – I refer back to my task list. It’s not easy, but we all have the power to control our actions!

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  • http://www.byevideo.org ByeVideo

    I’ve been in the process of discovering this for myself, and I’m so glad
    you wrote about it and validated my experience. Your suggestions are
    excellent. Thank you for adding value to my world.

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