Are you Overwhelmed with Information?

I read an article this week about the growing amount of information coming at us via online services (email, FB, Google, text messages, IM, Skype, etc), and how much energy it takes to keep track of it all. Research shows that the average corporate person receives 110 messages a day (don’t you hate it when you are gone for a day!) and a study shows that in 2007 alone businesses lost a collective $650 billion due to interuption (imagine what it might be now).

So what is your strategy to cope with the information overload? Here are 3 steps that I’ve taken to cope:

1. Regain Control of my email Accounts – I’ve split up my accounts into personal and business and business further into segments of the business. This allows me to work on one at a time, and know what the importance level is. I know that if someone has reached me at one account they are a current or past client, but if someone uses another account they are a new or potential client. I can respond accordingly.
2. Control the Inflow of Information – I’ve set my email to collect only once per hour. If you are receiving your email immediately, you are going to be constantly looking at it and be distracted from what you are working on now. Another even better way to deal with it is to only look at your email 2-3 times per day.
3. Prioritize my Social Media Accounts – some are simply more important for me to look at. First is email account. Second is my Facebook messages. Then come the different ways of messaging (blog, forums, twitter, etc).
4. Be Willing to Turn it Off – I ignore my accounts at night. Unless I am expecting something important or have a sale running, I don’t worry about my incoming messages. If it’s that important, they’ll have my cell number. If not, then it can wait until the next morning.

So is this crushing load of information stressing you out? If so, it very well may be noticable to your children. Check out this article to read more on how your kids are affected by your stress levels.