Got a question? Google it. Ask Alexa. Solicit Siri! We live in an age where we can learn anything in a matter of seconds. Nowadays information is always at our fingertips, but is this infinite info always a good thing?
Since the dawn of the digital era in the 1970s, we’ve been blessed with continual technological advancements in personal computers. Each decade we’ve seen huge innovations in portable devices – tablets, smartphones and smartwatches, which have only broadened our access to information.
Nowadays information is available to anyone with a device and an internet connection and while this increased accessibility has made life a heck of a lot easier…there are some major drawbacks. The biggest of these being information overload.
What is information overload?
The term was first used back in the 1960s by Political Science Professor Bertram Gross. He said that information overload “occurs when the amount of input to a system exceeds its processing capacity”. In other words, the human mind (as a system) can only absorb so much information before it becomes too much to process.
While we humans have big brain energy, we still have a limited cognitive processing capacity. When we’re exposed to too much info, our decision-making ability suffers. Our techno-heavy world has created an environment where we have access to far more information than we really need, which makes a subject more confusing, rather than less so.
Today we have info thrown at us (even when we don’t want it). TVs, laptops, smartphones, tablets, and advertisements are always around and we’re so busy, we don’t have enough time to process this onslaught of information. To make matters worse, more and more content is produced every day, leading to a lot of irrelevant or redundant information, making it even harder for our brains to process information.
So, what can we do about it? To help you out, here are some simple tips to help you overcome information overload.
Retrain your brain
Our dependence on the internet and the way we work in the modern world has reduced our ability to focus. Attention spans are getting shorter, and we humans are developing a ‘butterfly mind’ where we flit from one task or subject to the other, and back again.
Try retraining your mind to focus by engrossing yourself in one task or subject for extended amounts of time. You can gradually increase your focus time each day until you can manage at least 30 minutes or an hour at a time. If you need some practice, try reading a captivating, new book with no distractions. If you feel an unrelated task creeping into your mind, write it down and come back to it later.
Eat the frog
No, we’re not talking about eating amphibians. ‘Eat the frog’, refers to a handy productivity hack where you tackle your most dreaded task first up each day. Why’s is so effective? Two reasons! Firstly, it helps us overcome our natural tendency to procrastinate and secondly, it forces us to make important decisions when we’re at our best.
As the day goes on, information overload sets in and deteriorates our decision-making abilities. So, by facing your most taxing tasks first, you can address key concerns and responsibilities at a time when you’re at your peak executive performance.
Turn off alerts
It might sound simple, but every time we see an email notification pop up or our phone dings with an incoming message, we get distracted. These distractions might seem small and irrelevant but over the course of the day these micro distractions have a massive impact on our focus and productivity. By turning off your alerts you’ll protect your brain from irrelevant info, boost your concentration and stay focused on the task at hand.
Bundle micro-tasks
Small tasks are the bane of a manger’s existence. While they might seem harmless, if they’re not addressed these micro-tasks will pile up and serve as major distractions which overload your brain and limit your processing power. The best way to eliminate micro-tasks, is by clumping them all together and tackling them all at once, ideally at the same time each day. The brain loves a bit of routine! Bundling micro-tasks and tackling them all at once will stop your brain overloading and improve your daily efficiency.
Limit email checking
As a project manager, staying up to date with emails is a big part of your role. While we have a responsibility to constantly monitor our emails, checking your emails too regularly can overload you with information and take you off task. Rather than obsessively checking your email throughout the day, limit it to just three times. Once when you arrive to work, another time after lunch, and finally, right before the end of the day. Without the constant bombardment of checking emails, you’ll see a massive boost in productivity.
Put things on paper
When you’re researching or taking in lots of information, your brain does it’s best to process it all, establish useful connections and make real world applications. But our brain has limits and too much processing can make you feel muddled and confused. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by information, get it out of your head and down on paper. A quick info dump will help you clear your mind and help you process new information. I’m a big fan of bullet points or lists.
Take regular breaks
You can’t work all day and expect to be productive. While workaholism is often celebrated, working too much isn’t sustainable. While it’s good to have stretches of uninterrupted focus time, you need to punctuate your day with breaks to avoid burnout and information overload. People who actively relax and take regular breaks have improved work-life balance and generally work fewer hours because their brains operate more efficiently.
Prioritise your sleep
Many of us put off sleep when we have a problem to solve, or lots of work to do. While this may seem like a good idea, depriving yourself of sleep is terrible for your brain. Not only does sleep revive your body and mind, it’s also prime processing time for your brain.
While you sleep your brain works hard to digest the info you’ve absorbed throughout the day and works hard to solve problems. If you sleep on a problem, you may just find that you wake up with the answer, or perhaps a new perspective on the issue. Always place a notebook and pen next to your bed in case you wake up in the night full of ideas. This way you can record your thoughts and utilise them the next day.
Do what works for you!
While you may not be able to incorporate every one of these suggestions into your daily routine, try a few of them each week and work out what’s most effective. It may take a bit of trial and error to see what strategies work best for you.
By limiting distractions, taking time to switch off and reordering your daily tasks you can protect yourself against information overload, boost your productivity, and set a great example for your team!