Coping With Information Overload copyright Jan Jasper 1997-2002
Henry David Thoreau once said, "Things are in the saddle and ride
mankind." Today, INFORMATION is in the saddle… and it's riding us into
the ground! We are just overwhelmed with information. We fear that if we don't
read it all, we'll miss something really important. So we pile it, unread, and
the piles keep growing. We won't discard the unread magazines or books, no
matter how long they've been sitting there. We want to hang onto them because
"it's good information." But realistically, the only way we can
"catch up" is to spend our next three vacations doing nothing but
reading. Most of us aren't willing to do that.
Help for Information Hoarders
Time to face reality, then. People talk as if information has mystical power--as
if the act of buying a book or magazine is enough. But information is not
absorbed through osmosis. You must take the time to read it. Until you read it,
information has no value. None! I'm an info-maniac myself, so it took me a long
time to understand this. Once I did, a huge burden of impossible expectation was
lifted from my shoulders. You can get some reading done in odd moments: waiting
for appointments, riding the train or bus. But most of us could benefit from a
regular weekly reading time. You don't have time? Bump something else from your
schedule.
Prioritize
If you still can't get caught up, your only choice is to reduce the amount of
reading material you bring into your life. Cut back on your purchases of books,
magazines, and newsletter subscriptions. This can be difficult, because it
forces you to face that you will never have time to do it all. But this
hard-nosed realism enables you to make conscious decisions about what you will
read--which is better than leaving it to chance. Important magazine and
newsletter articles should be clipped and filed by topic so you can find them
later. If you don't file it, you won't be able to find it when you need it.
You'll probably forget you even have it. Such information does you no good--you
may as well have thrown it out in the first place. Be very selective about what
you save and file. Surveys have found that 80% of files are never looked at
again. And often, by the time you need to use the information, it's outdated. If
you are selective enough, you probably won't need to buy that extra filing
cabinet.
To Scan Or Not To Scan "Putting it in the computer" will not, in itself, solve the filing
problem. Clients often ask me if they should scan information that, upon a
closer look, they don't even need to save! The more selective you are about what
you keep, the better off you'll be -- regardless of whether you file the
old-fashioned way or electronically. Often, the time needed to file an article
outweighs any possible benefit.
Think Before You Acquire People often buy books and magazine subscriptions because they're on
sale--then they never get around to reading them. A bargain price alone
shouldn't prompt you to buy anything. If you don't have time to read it and use
it, a low price tag does not increase an item's value. Buy only what you have a
strong interest in--and the time--to read. Remember: You can always buy more
stuff, but you can't get more time. And a clutter-free environment is
priceless.
About the Author Since 1988, Jan Jasper has been helping clients streamline their systems,
use technology efficiently, manage information overload, and form optimum work
habits. Jan is the author of "Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control
of Work, Information, & Technology" (St. Martin's Press). Through
her consulting, seminars, and book, she has helped thousands of people work more
effectively. Visit www.janjasper.com.
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