Do You Need Information Triage?

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Published by Rachelle Disbennett-Lee
Monday, February 18, 2002
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With so much information coming at us, it is hard to know what needs attention first. It is important to keep up, but keeping up can bog us down. The problem is that we cannot stop the flow of information. The solution is we can take control of how we manage it.

Here are some suggestions adapted from an article written by James Lee Smith entitled, "How Can We Manage Overload?"

Get to work before the telephones and interruptions begin to take priority. Answer e-mail, sort mail, and set yourself up for the day.

Do one thing at a time. Studies suggest that multitasking just isn't effective. It can actually add to the feeling of being overloaded and stressed.

Answer phone messages and e-mail in blocks of time. Instead of answering messages one at a time, reserve time during the day to return calls and e-mail.

Do you really need to be wired all the time? When I see a person with a group of other people talking on a cell phone, I wonder what could be so important that they have to ignore the people they are with. Disconnect from time to time and be present in the moment.

Do you really need to read every article, file every memo, and store all e-mail? Organize information by its importance to you and discard the rest. Eighty percent of everything we file we never look at again.

Trying to take care of everything leaves us feeling exhausted. Prioritize. Decide what you really need and what you can do without. I once worked in an office that received a report every Monday. It was my responsibility to distribute that report. One Monday the report came late and I didn't get a chance to pass it around. No one missed it. The following Monday, when the report came, I filed it again and no one asked about it. I discontinued distribution and no one ever noticed. We may be confused thinking that information is knowledge and knowledge is power. Knowing isn't as important as knowing what information is important and what we can do without.

Coaching

Perform information triage. Decide what is really important and what you can live without. Subscribe to only two or three journals and magazines. If you are afraid you will miss out on something, there are services that will scan all types of news media and provide a briefing of the most important details.

Don't get bogged down with too much information. Decide what you need and what you can live without. Too much is simply that too much. We can only absorb a certain amount until our brains shut down. One side effect of information overload is memory loss. We simply cannot stuff our brains to overflowing and expect to retain everything.

What can you do to control the information overload?

Daily Success Formula

Too much information = Information overload

Quotes

"Despite the continuing expansion or even explosion of information, there will forever be limits beyond which the devices of science cannot lead a man." June Singer

"Drowning problems in an ocean of information is not the same as solving them." Ray E. Brown