How to deal with information overload
Parent Post
How can you use
How can you use multi-channel multitasking to deal with information overload?
Consume content while doing certain other things.
For instance, every time you go to the gym, use Pocket to read articles to you aloud while you exercise.
By first turning our values into time, filtering out the superfluous sources of information, and finding ways to get more out of the time we have, we can consume important information without letting it consume us.
Pick how much time
Pick how much time in your day you would devote to being “informed.”
Then ask yourself, “If I only had that much time to catch up with all the information sources in my day, how would I spend it?”
The question prompts you to make trade-offs that will help you stay focused on what matters most: the important things you want to spend your time on, including your family, your friends, and yourself.
Pursuing knowledge is great
Pursuing knowledge is great until it becomes a distraction.
Today, we’re drowning in information. There are more books to read, blogs to follow, and videos to watch. We have the incredible opportunity to learn nearly anything with a few clicks.
Impose constraintsMost people consume
Impose constraints
Most people consume information in whatever cracks of time they have in their day, or when they feel bored, lonely, or overwhelmed.
Those negative feelings, or internal triggers, are the leading cause of distraction.
We often consume unnecessary information as an emotional escape when we don’t feel right.
Now, rather than information,
Now, rather than information, the scarce commodity is attention.
The ability to focus on the things that matter while ignoring the things that don’t is a defining trait of people who achieve their dreams.
With the information deluge showing no sign of easing in the years to come, the world is bifurcating into people who allow their time and attention to be controlled and manipulated by others, and those with the power to decide for themselves.
You can always add
You can always add more to a to-do list. A calendar forces you to make trade-offs.
You can’t call something a distraction unless you know what it distracted you from. That’s why we should all be schedule builders, not-to-do list makers.
Knowing you only have a fixed amount of time for catching up on the news, using social media or other forms of content forces you to make some hard choices about what stays and what goes.
Make the most of
Make the most of your time
After deciding your values, turning them into time, and imposing constraints based on your schedule, you should have a much shorter queue of content that’s worth your attention.
Numerous studies show multitasking degrades performance and productivity. But there are two kinds of multitasking.
You can, however, use multi-channel multitasking, by which we receive information on multiple information channels at once.
The ability to become
The ability to become Indistractable is a super skill.
Without the ability to block out distractions, you’ll be condemned to going through life following someone else’s agenda.
Here are the steps to take to become a master, rather than a slave, of information overload.
Turn your values into
Turn your values into time
Mastering information consumption starts with determining your values, then turning your values into time.
Values such as honesty, integrity, self-reliance, and kindness are traits you want to embody.
By categorizing our values into three life domains—you, your relationships, and your work—we get two things: an outline of where we spend our time, and a way to think about how we plan our days.