We may not all realize it, but dealing with information overload isn’t all that easy. Did you know that there are THOUSANDS of news articles published daily and over 500 hours of video are posted to YouTube every MINUTE!
In a world where we have vast amounts of information at our fingertips, how do you decide what to consume and what to forgo? If you’re anything like me, you have a vast list of books to read, podcasts to listen to, YouTube videos to watch, and not near enough hours in the day to get through it all.
Information and content is constantly being thrown in our faces, and various publishing outlets are fighting for our time and attention.
So how do you manage it all?
Prioritize
How do you decide what information is worth your time? This will vary from person to person based on your goals. Is your goal simply to be entertained? Do you want to learn more about a specific subject? Or keep up with current events at home or around the world? Solidifying your goals is vital to prioritizing your content consumption. These goals can obviously vary from day to day or even hour by hour.
Personally, my goal in the morning is usually to read about or listen to current events just in case they are brought up in conversations with co-workers or friends throughout the day. Later in the afternoons/evenings, I try to consume educational content about a particular subject, ideally about a subject that relates to a project or task that I am or expect to be working on in the near future.
In general, I think we could all benefit from putting social media lower on our priorities list. Ask yourself, what am I gaining from scrolling through Facebook for an hour? Do I really need all of these notifications constantly pulling my attention away from work, family, etc?
Knowing what your goals and priorities are will keep you from feeling like you need to consume content just for the sake of filling your brain with something. It makes your listening or reading purposeful & will help you weed out information that you may never use or benefit from.
Narrow your focus and find trusted resources
Published content does not necessarily mean good content. In this day and age, you can write literally anything, publish it, and many people will take it as fact without doing any independent research. While you should always be skeptical, you don’t have time to fact check everything you read. Find resources that you think you can trust and eliminate those that might not be as factual.
Increase efficiency
The best way to consume more content is to consume that content in a shorter amount of time. There are 2 ways to do this that I think everyone should implement:
- Speed up your video and audio. YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and most audiobook platforms all have options to increase the speed of the content. You can start gradually increasing your listening speed so that you can fit more content into less time. This has honestly been a game-changer for me. I’m currently listening to all my books and podcasts at a speed of 1.5x and I’d like to eventually work my way up to 2x. This will also help you to actively listen to your content as you have to pay closer attention to comprehend at this faster pace. I highly recommend this to anyone who is trying to fit more content into a limited time.
- Listen while you work. Eat. Exercise. Drive. Clean. Anything that you are doing that is mindless or requires little thought, make that time more efficient by tacking on a good podcast or audiobook. Do you want to be one of those people that can read 2+ books per month? Well audiobooks are a GREAT way to do that!! Even better, if you live in an area with a public library, you may be able to access digital audiobooks for FREE with your library card. I’ve NEVER paid for an audiobook and I’ve probably listened to over 100. Check out your local library’s website and see what resources are available to you. And if you don’t have access to a local library, Audible is a GREAT option! They have an insanely large collection of audiobooks & offer a free trial.
Focus on retention rather than consumption. Quality over quantity.
Is there any point in consuming information if you don’t retain it? If you’re listening to audiobooks or podcasts, made sure you are actively listening and following along. If you zone out or your mind drifts, back it up 60 seconds so you you’re not lost for the rest of the episode or chapter.
Active recall has proven to be one of the best methods of learning and retaining information. Active recall is the process of retrieving information from memory, i.e. testing yourself. Implement this into your learning routine by summarizing each chapter or episode, either aloud or in your head, periodically. It doesn’t have to be an extensive summary, just a few bullet points with the important info. The more often you do this, the more likely it is that you will retain that information.
Even better, try to explain what you’ve learned to someone or work it into a conversation. The more you force your brain to recall the information, the longer it will stay with you.
An infinity pool of information is one of the best and worst parts of living in the 21st century. In my opinion, it definitely has more pros than cons, you just have to learn how to not be overwhelmed by it all.
How has dealing with information overload affected your personal or professional life?
