The BIGG Successs Show
TMI Is Not So Gr8
Tips to cope with information overload. Listen to the show & read the summary here.
Welcome to The Big Success Show. Today, we'll offer tips to cope with information overload. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. The official title of the show today is TMI is not so great. And you Mary Lynn, you know, when we're talking about TMI, we don't mean when someone reveals themselves a little too much. We're actually talking about information overload. That's there it is. Exactly like that. Now, but honestly, it's a typical day for a lot of us. Phone calls, emails, text messages, memos, it goes on and on. Absolutely. And you know, this is one of the things that we can't learn in school. Nobody teaches us this. How to deal with that abundance of information. It all comes down to managing yourself to manage the information. So how do you turn off all the incoming? It can be overwhelming and today we're going to share some tips on how to manage it all. First thing is set some limits. For example, limit the times when you're available or look at another way when you're not available. And that's pretty tough to do with technology today. Yeah, everybody's walking around with a smartphone or the expectation is there that you will respond immediately. Yeah, I think sometimes we're our own worst enemies. But the type of occupation you have obviously has something to do with how responsive you need to be. But we can all set limits. Yeah, for example, I got some great advice. And this person said to set times when you answer email. Don't sit there and watch every email that comes in and then respond to it right away. Look at your email. First thing in the morning, look at it towards lunchtime and look at it at the end of the day. I was amazed at how much time I saved during the day. And, you know, if it's an emergency, they can always get me on my cell phone. That's true. Another thing that I use, I turn off those alerts that let you know every time there's an email coming up. Like the one I just saw on my computer. Yeah, I just sent that to you. Also setting filters because it's so easy to get distracted. And with these filters, things that I have coming in that are fun or of personal interest, go to a place where I can check once or twice a week. And that way, the unimportant information isn't right there in front of me. And it forces me to be self-disciplined. It also explains why I don't get very fast response from you on the emails I sent you, doesn't it? You've got your own little folder, George. And also, set a time limit on how long you'll spend in different activities, you know, by clumping things together. Like, I'm going to spend 15 minutes returning emails. I find that it makes me more efficient. I write shorter emails, sometimes even one word. Now, we've been talking about electronic mail. What about that inbox that's on your desk? More information there, the memos, the reports. I have a friend who I think has a great idea that he told me about. He has three inboxes. So, not one, but three. And just like email, you know, we can prioritize low, normal, high, as far as importance. Well, you have to prioritize when you put something in his inbox. And he quickly finds out who the abusers are. How about those pesky phone calls? I wonder how many people grab for their phone right there. We have to filter those too. I love using voicemail as my virtual assistant, you know, to bail screen calls. You know, you're able to find out what people want, how important it is, and then plan your return call. I just find it saves a whole lot of time. It's a lot easier to respond to a call than to get engaged in a conversation when something else is more important. And speaking of important, that's the second one, Mary Lynn. We want to make sure we're prioritizing. Focusing on what's important, not necessarily what's in front of you. And coming up a timeless principle to help you prioritize all the incoming. Today, we're talking about TMI information overload, and there's a timeless principle by Stephen Covey from his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Ask yourself two questions. Is it important and is it urgent? So if it's important and urgent, obviously, you've got to respond to that. Yeah, but what if it's important and not urgent? Well, that's where you want to focus your time. Stephen Covey calls it Quadrant II. The more time you can spend on important and not urgent activities, the less time you'll end up spending on important and urgent activities. Maybe it's urgent, but not important. It's in front of you right now. You know it's not important. It's that whole, their emergency is not your emergency thing. Think about it this way. Aren't you too important to deal with anything that's not important? Yeah, because important people work on important things, and that's how they become even more important. And we've barely scratched the surface here. And George, I think we need more information. So leave us your ideas on how you cope with information overload, because we could certainly use the help. I'll say you can get a written summary of today's show on our blog at BigSuccess.com. That's also where you'll find a link to Stephen Covey's book. And let's get our big quote for the day. The quote today comes from Irma Baumbach, who said, "I have a theory about the human mind. A brain is a lot like a computer. It will only take so many facts and then it will go on overload and blow up." So don't lock up. Scan your system for fragments of information that you don't need, so you can run more smoothly and efficiently. And Marilyn, you know there's a lot of talk recently about recession. I know. Well, just in case, next time we'll talk about how to survive and thrive during a recession. And until then, here's to your big success. The Big Success Show at B-I-G-G Success.com. [BLANK_AUDIO]