How to Be Smart in a World of Information Overload
Are you suffering from information overload? Welcome to the age where the world is a dynamic environment that’s spinning out of control – but it doesn’t have to be that way for you. You do not have to get on the bandwagon, because you can be smart in a world of information overload. The trick is to say “No,” more often and “Yes,” to the things that matter. Believe it or not, you do not have to pay attention to every piece of information that comes your way. In other words, instead of stressing yourself out by trying to digest all the information that comes your way, only digest the bits that will change your life in a positive way. If you think about Pareto’s Principle – you can get 80 percent of the information you need by consuming only 20 percent. It all comes down to knowing your purpose, so you’ll always be able to figure out, which piece of information matters to you that can set you apart from your peers.
Being Smart in a World of Information Overload
You’ve heard it said many times that the most successful people read more than a book a week, and they tend to read books that make them think. But the other part of the equation is that they apply what they learn. I know that you are thinking that your day is already overscheduled – is it? Think about the many 10 minutes you have between meetings, or the 10 minutes you spend in the checkout line, or the 30 minutes you spend waiting at the doctor’s office, or the 30 minutes you spend during your commute. Could you devote some of that time to read? Getting into the habit of interstitial reading is not a bad habit to develop.
You can be smart in a world of information overload – you have to learn the art of focus. You know that I am leading up to something. You know that I want something from you. You know that I want you to join the Read the World Challenge. Yes, I want you to commit to reading a book a week for 52 weeks – read during the times you are waiting. I know that information overload is real, but because it is real, doesn’t mean that you have to use it as an excuse, not to do the really important things in life, like reading books that will transform your life. I am the first person to admit that last year I led a failed Reading Challenge, and I screwed up because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. But because you fail, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try again. Failure often leads to success when you learn the important lessons. I am a Chief Bookaholic, so I know a thing or two about reading books. From my failed Reading Challenge, here are the lessons that I learned.
- It’s important to send weekly prompts to participants. This supports them, but also helps them to focus on what they need to accomplish each week.
- I have to be more proactive in helping people choose the books they read. The Paradox of Choice can paralyze people, so I have to lessen the choices that people have.
- I have to show people how to get the most from the books they read. People read really good books, but they do not know how to apply the information – I can help with that.
- You have to set people up for success.
I learned these lessons from participating in Sarah Arrow’s 30-Day Blogging Challenge. And I continued to learn long after the Blogging Challenge ended. I observed some of the things that Sarah did. There is a mentoring moment here – you can learn best practices that you can apply from other places. A blogging challenge is very different from a reading challenge, but the way you run them is the same. The same thing applies to reading books from other disciplines.
If you have razor sharp focus on the things that matter, and you read the books that matter, and focus only on the information that matters to you, how can you be sidelined with information overload? For people who are new to this blog, a couple of years ago, I hosted the Virtual Literary World Tour. The Tour was for me, and it was a way for me to heal my broken heart when my mother died suddenly. Healing often takes place when you are doing the things you love, and reading for me, is one of life’s simple pleasures. I was focused, and I read 80 books in four months. That’s not a record. One woman challenged herself to read a book a day for a year, and she reached her goal. Another decided to read a book by an author from all recognized countries in the world, and she too reached her goal. These two women were focused and had a reason for doing what they did. Would becoming more valuable to yourself and your employer be a compelling enough reason for joining the Read the World Challenge?
Although I created the Read the World Challenge, it’s not so much about me, as it is about you and your needs. If you actively participate in the Challenge, doing all the exercises, and using the Monthly Reading Matrix to combine the ideas from the books you read, how can your life not be transformed at the end of 52 weeks? If you do not like reading, why not listen to an audio book instead?
How to Be Smart about the Read the World Challenge
- Choose the first 12 books that you are going to read during the first three months of the Challenge. Have them handy, so that you are not scrambling when you receive the weekly prompts. Two months into the Read the World Challenge, choose your next 12 books, and continue like that.
- Choose the right books – decide beforehand which books you have to read that will enable you to perform your job more effectively.
- Choose books to build and/or strengthen your foundational knowledge in your niche/industry.
- Choose books about adjacent industries so you can learn best practices that you can apply to your industry.
- Read broadly, visit the seven continents via the books you read, because this builds and strengthens your creative muscles, as well as elevate your level of thinking.
- Read the books while listening to the audio at twice the speed. Jeff Goins, a writer who penned the bestselling book, The Art of Work, listens to audio books at three times the speed. If you are paying attention, you will be amazed by how much you retain. But you have to take notes, so that you move the information from your short-term memory into your long-term memory.
- Check my blog to see if I have read and summarized any of the books on your list – there is a search box at the bottom of the blog. You can also check to see if Derek Sivers has read the book because he has extensive notes on over 200 books. What this does, is to help you decide if you really need or want to read that particular book. This will save you time and help you to focus on reading books that can improve your work and life. You also have to read the continents because reading about other cultures helps you to develop cultural sensitivity and gain a better understanding of people who are different from you.
You can be smart in a world of information overload. Join me on the Read the World Challenge!
Get Started Here – I want to help you get started on your learning journey! Sign-up for the Read the World Challenge.
In the meantime, THANK YOU for your time… Thank you for sharing this post, and thank you for connecting with me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest! What was your biggest takeaway from today?
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