What to do about information overload?
An article about Information Overload (What is it and what to do?) uses the information is like food analogy which (in my mind) gives space to a full spectrum of comparisons: using byte size portions, types of ingredients (data), having a cook (editor or writer) prepare breakfast or a snack from new available raw materials (datafeed to newspaper), and prepare a lunch or meal from more stable ingredients with less food spoilage (trending topics in a magazine) and a grand buffet from proven (sustainable) ingredients and products (presented as a book or reference).
Food deterioration and decay can also be compared to information-products which after a while become outdated. It would be useful if information products have a label concerning the usability (for example good until (… date or formula, event, variable, medium- or context change);
The overal principle of the article about information overload is: decrease quantity and increase quality.
Some thoughts regarding a cure for Information Overload: the focus is on the premise that things are changing continuously and in order to see the change you need information.
Information (as generic definition) lies between raw data and acquired knowledge.
The presented solution: Building your personal network
You, as an individual, have a unique set of life experiences and education which you apply to your own particular interests, or occupation.
[These are your professional and personal areas (subjects) of interest. Assignment 1: Make a long-list of all the subjects you find interesting. Tip: These subjects can be taken out of and put in your Blogger or Facebook profile].
Take stock of these in an information flow context. With which ones do you wish to continue to remain up-to-date? Which ones can slide a little behind? Are there some streams of information that are just using up your time without any payback to either your personal life, or your career?
[You need to pre-value information-streams in your personal context, when using RSS-feeds you might want to review past articles. Assignment 2: create a shortlist of 10, maximum 20 subjects, combine and rename if possible. Create a ]
Note the information flows that you wish to keep up with, and consciously discard the information that is coming in from other flows. For those flows which are important, determine the most appropriate method of remaining up-to-date. This might mean dedicating time at work to keep up with occupational information, or new magazine subscriptions at home. For those flows which are to be discarded you must make conscious decisions on a regular basis to stop using time devoted to these flows.