How to manage information overload ?

We live in a culture of 24/24 and 7 / 7 where multitasking is not just a fashion, it is considered essential. An incredible number of people writing text messages or respond to phone calls while driving, write lists of tasks during meetings or read their emails while they are on the phone. Our sense of productivity seems to be directly related to the number of tasks with which we handle and quantity of activities with which we fill our lives.
But do we know really what we are doing, or just bits of everything? And if we were overwhelmed by our work, out of breath to run all day and losing our ability to get to the bottom of things? Does the constant flow of data has become a goal, the symbol of a full life?

Drowning in data ?

With messages that are coming from all directions, we sink  in the data. An average office worker receives more than 150 emails per day, not counting the many calls on various types of telephones, faxes, SMS and instant messages to colleagues and friends. Our attention is constantly sought by the beeps and tones of an electronic device or another. This is particularly distracting in the office and can prevent us from doing our job properly and cause major health problems related to stress.

Many employees are beginning to feel that these constant interruptions and demands the ability to focus on their work. Our brain needs time to disengage from a task and focus all his attention on another. Indeed, once we have given up an activity, it takes about half an hour to be able to return. In the long term, information overload can undermine our ability to concentrate and think about a deeper level.

Find the concentration

The problem is not too much information: it is the way we manage them. We need to manage the requests we receive and to allow time to focus and maximize the information we receive. Here are some tips that may help:

• Prioritize. Before starting work, take time to identify what you really need to do, then attack at one task at a time, starting with the most difficult. Do not try to drag tasks quick and easy in the middle. At each change, your brain has to concentrate.
• Be observant. Get used to complete a task at a time. Choose what you need done and do it properly and devote your full attention. Resist the urge to do multitasking. Think quality rather than quantity. Organize your time, take breaks, take the air out and focus your attention again.
• Disconnect. Do not be slave tones. When you need to work, close your email, instant messaging disconnect and put your phone on answering machine. Decide for yourself the best time to check your inbox. Perhaps you could assign two sessions in this task, one in the morning and one afternoon. The most important thing is to resist the temptation to check your messages in the meantime. Tell others that you have a new way to organize your work. They get used to it.
• Consolidate. When you need to write an email, force you to be concise. Five sentences is a good limit. Be attentive to others: Do not overload your email information with colleagues and unnecessary messages such as "thank you! "Or" super! . Try to send fewer messages and ensure the relevance of the information you transmit.

Remember: When you send a message, you may interrupt someone at work. Make sure it worthwhile!