As the amount of information increases exponentially, it’s easy to find yourself being completely overwhelmed or succumbing to the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). You need a plan for dealing with it, and in this episode Brooks and Mike talk about the problem of information overload and more importantly what you can actually do about it.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re being forced to drink from the information firehose or felt stressed from not being able to keep track of everything, then this episode is for you. We discuss the root causes of information overload so you know what to look for and share practical tips for establishing a system you can trust to regain a sense of control.
Cheat Sheet
- The contributing factors to the abundance of information in the world today [1:39]
- How to deal with the root causes FOMO and FOBO [4:16]
- A look back to the good ‘ol days when there was less information to keep track of online (it wasn’t that long ago) [9:51]
- Why it is so important to accept that you can’t know everything [11:36]
- Why the things you already know are much more valuable than the information you’re looking for [16:00]
- How to pick the things that are actually important for you to keep track of [16:38]
- How to let everything else go if it doesn’t make the cut [19:03]
- Why there are often more things that you should do then things that you can actually get done [23:49]
- What the Zeigarnick Effect is and why it is so bad for focus [24:48]
- Why multitasking is a myth and the real impact of attention residue to your productivity [26:00]
- How many different things can push information at you and what you can do to shut them down when they’re not important [29:01]
- Why taming your notifications is so important on your mobile devices [36:08]
- Why capturing your tasks into a task manager is a critical piece of any system [41:28]
- What to do with your different inboxes and how to keep on top of them [48:18]
- How to use a read-it-later service like Pocket [54:50]
- Best practices for managing your various inboxes [58:48]
- How to resist FOMO and beat it once and for all [1:04:14]
Links
- Hello Internet podcast
- App Developer Magazine: “More data will be created in 2017 than the previous 5,000 years of humanity”
- Zeigarnick Effect
- Study: Why is it so hard to do my work? The challenge of attention residue when switching between work tasks
- The Accidental Tech podcast
- 10% Entrepreneurship w/ Patrick McGinnis: Achieving Entrepreneurial Freedom Without Sacrificing 9-to-5 Stability (TPS157)
- The Art of Thinking Clearly
- GTD
- MailMate
- Instapaper
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, PocketCast or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show gain exposure. You can also leave a review! Here’s how.
If you enjoyed this episode, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast, Pocket Casts or your favorite podcast player. It’s easy, you’ll get new episodes automatically, and it also helps the show. You can also leave a review!
