Coping,With,Information,Overlo DIY Coping With Information Overload
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and
It's been said that the average New York Times Sundayedition contains more information than a person in 15thcentury England was exposed to during their entirelifetime. In the information age, our minds get bombarded daily withso much data that we start filtering it out as a self-defense mechanism. On the Internet, the information overload gets so severethat it seems to bring out the ADD (attention deficitdisorder) in all of us. To make things worse, expect the avalanche of informationwe must all deal with online to start coming faster andharder and to never, ever stop. Unlimited amounts of information available onlinerepresents a truly double-edged mental sword. On the good side, you can find out virtually anything youwant about any person, place, thing, fact, problem andmore. On the bad side, since you can find anything, manypeople get lost and caught up in "everything" and neveraccomplish much. In fact, most people end up drowning in a sea ofinformation when all they wanted was a simple drink ofwater. To help you effectively deal with the never-ending torrentof online information, let me offer 3 simple solutions thatwill profoundly affect your ability to get things done.First, operate with a clear purpose for what you plan toaccomplish online. Many people start out with a vague idea of what they wantto accomplish on the Web and end up wasting hours surfingaimlessly. One simple solution: write down your purpose for goingonline on a sticky note and put it on the side of yourmonitor. Simple purpose statements like "Check email" or "Find mapto Detroit" or "Research where to advertise my blog" cansave countless hours by reminding you of your true purposefor sitting down at the keyboard (and keep you fromwandering off to explore Britney Spears or The Simpsons).Next, if you do want to go off on a sidetrack away fromyour original purpose, set a time limit. Kind of like recess in kindergarten, give yourself a setamount of time to run free, but then get back in theclassroom and get back to business. Typically, I give myself anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes toroam, but only if I think it will bear fruit for my purposein the end. I also force myself to honestly answer the question, "Doesthis really fit with my purpose for being online rightnow?" If not, then I goof off for about 5 minutes and then writedown the idea, website, or topic for future investigation. By the way, a simple egg timer works great for this.Finally, if you ever find yourself online without apurpose, but can't seem to stop surfing or searching,simply get up from your computer and walk away for a fewminutes to clear your head. Often this represents the fastest way to stop yourselfwasting countless hours in meaningless activity online. Bottom line, implementing simple strategies for dealingwith information overload online now will pay hugedividends in peace of mind and time savings in the future. Article Tags: Information Overload
Coping,With,Information,Overlo