Information Overload

Presenter

Sarah Wood

Sarah Wood, MSW, holds a bachelor’s degree in

sociology from Furman University and a master’s

degree in social work from the University of North

Carolina. She has experience in operations,

people management, program development,

project management, staff development, training

and coaching.

Sarah is currently the Director of Global Work-Life

Services at Workplace Options and has been

instrumental in the creation and implementation of

several company-wide staff enrichment programs.

Sarah is passionate about giving individuals the

tools that they need to grow and develop both as

a person and in their professional career.

Learning Objectives

• Understand what contributes to information overload

• Apply tips and tools for effectively managing information

• Identify resources available to assist you in combating

information overload

Can You Relate?

Information Overload

What is “information overload”?

• Information overload occurs when we attempt to deal

with more information than we are able to effectively

process to bring about sensible decisions.

Information overload results in:

• Delays in making decisions

• Making the wrong decisions

Did You Know?

"A weekday edition of The New York Times contains

more information than the average person was likely

to come across in a lifetime in 17th century

England."

R.S. Wurman, Information Anxiety

(written in 1990)

Survey

On average, how much time during the day do you

think you spend sifting through information (e-mails,

junk mail, research, news, social media updates, etc.)?

A. 1 – 3 hours

B. 4 – 6 hours

C. 6 – 8 hours

D. Greater than 8 hours

Symptoms of Information Overload

• Increased cardiovascular stress

• Weakened vision

• Increased confusion and frustration

• Impaired judgment based on overconfidence

• Decreased benevolence to others

Survey

How well do you feel you manage information coming

from various sources?

A. I am able to successfully manage information very well

B. I am able to successfully manage information

sometimes

C. I find it difficult to manage information

How to Manage Information

1. General tips

2. Technology tools and apps

3. Strategies for combating distraction

General Tips

1. Assess what is necessary:

– You do not need to read everything.

– You do not need to keep everything.

– You do not need to print everything.

2. Determine the minimum number of e-mail accounts

you need (e.g., one business, one personal, one

“junk mail” account).

3. Set limits for yourself, and respect others’ limits.

4. Organize your work areas.

Eliminate Clutter Activity

Versus

General Tips for the Workplace

1. Determine workplace communication best practices.

• E-mail

– Encourage brief messages.

– Use specific subject lines.

• SharePoint, blogs, or wikis

2. Do not have meetings without agendas,

moderators, or a minutes taker.

3. Do not leave your inbox open all day.

Technology Tools and Apps

1. Calendars

2. To do/task lists

3. Reminders

4. Auto-routing and color coding in e-mail

5. Folders

6. Asana

Survey

Do you use a smartphone (e.g., iPhone, Android)?

A. Yes

B. No

Technology Tools and Apps

1. Bill-pay apps and reminders

2. Dropbox or Google drive for managing files

3. Smartphone tools

4. Other helpful apps:

– Evernote

– Inbox Pause

– Keeper

– Pocket

– Remember The Milk

– Unroll.me

Attention Span

• Average attention span in 2000 = 12 seconds

• Average attention span in 2015 = 8.25 seconds

The attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds…

Strategies for Combating Distraction

1. Establish a set pattern to your work day

(e.g., Pomodoro technique)

2. Manage incoming phone calls

3. Take short meditation or mindfulness breaks to help

your focus

4. Disconnect from technology

5. Work on self-discipline

Take Action!

1. Write down one new tip, tool, or app you will try this

week.

2. Write down one strategy for managing distractions

that you will try this week.

Resources

Contact your EAP

or

Work-Life Program

for

Assistance

Thank You!

Questions?

Works Cited

Cirillo, F. (2006). The Pomodoro technique. Retrieved June 24, 2015, from

http://www.baomee.info/pdf/technique/1.pdf

Edmunds, G. (2015, April 21). Edmunds: Taming the world of information overload. Retrieved

June 10, 2015, from

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/edmunds/2015/04/21/entrepreneurial-

tightrope-organize-information-clutter/26159681

Levitin, D. (2015, January 18). Why the modern world is bad for your brain. Retrieved June 10,

2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/18/modern-world-bad-for-brain-

daniel-j-levitin-organized-mind-information-overload

Phillips, S. (2009, September 24). Confess your symptoms of information overload and addiction.

Retrieved June 10, 2015, from

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2009/sep/24/information-overload

Statistic Brain Research Institute. (2015, April 2). Attention span statistics. Retrieved June 22, 2015,

from http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics

Works Cited

Tartakovsky, M. (2013, January 21). Overcoming information overload. Retrieved June 10,

2015, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/01/21/overcoming-

information-overload

Tattersall, A. (2015, May 13). How to cope with information overload. Retrieved June 10, 2015,

from http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/13/opinions/surviving-information-

overload/index.html

Wurman, R. S. (1990). Information Anxiety. New York: Bantam.