How TO Deal With Information Overload

There is a term that is used to describe what happens when you do not know how to deal with information overload: Paralysis by Analysis. It refers to being so overwhelmed by all of the information you are dealing with that you become unable to act. You spend so much time sifting through the information that nothing actually gets accomplished.

In this era of instant information, learning how to deal with information overload is a necessary skill. It can help you be more creative, more productive, and will also reduce the stress you have to deal with.

Organize

The first ting that you will need to do is set up some sort of method to organize the information that you are collecting. The better you are at keeping the information in some sort of organized structure, the easier it will be to use that information when you need it.

For instance, if you are working on a project that involves internet marketing, you can organize information by On-Page SEO, Article Marketing, PPC Campaigns, etc. This will give you a structure that will let you find that information without having to go back through everything you have collected.

Prioritize

Once you have a collection of information you will need to start to assess which pieces of information are most important. If there is information you need that is critical to getting your project under way, it would have a higher priority than the information that will come later.

One Step at a Time

Every large task can be accomplished by breaking it down into smaller pieces. It is like the joke that asks, "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer: "One bite at a time."

Every piece of information is not going to be relevant to every task. As you begin to break the project down into manageable tasks you will get a clearer idea of what pieces of information you will need at each step. This will help you to further refine your organization of the information, and will help you keep it manageable.

Set a Schedule

The next step is to set a schedule that will allow you to accomplish the tasks you have identified.. As you work on each task you can pull up the relevant information that will help you accomplish that task. Once the task is completed the information can be stored away for later reference if necessary.

Do Not Over Analyze

It is important that you do not over-collect or over-analyze the information you are working with. The good and bad thing about the internet is that there is always more information available. You can use that information as an excuse to continue to gather more info.

Unfortunately that non stop gathering of information will keep you from ever beginning your project. At some point you are going to have be satisfied with the information you have, and then put that information to use. Once you have started the project and you find you need additional information, you can always go back to find what you need.

If you do not learn how to deal with information overload you are going to find yourself under a lot of unnecessary stress. Once you do learn to work with that information in an organized way, you will find your productivity increasing greatly.

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