How To Cope With Information Overload – Assess Your Goals

The world is fast becoming complicated, and we are constantly bombarded with new information.  You can be easily overwhelmed by the flood if you’re not prepared.  Learn to be more selective in what is important and if that is not entirely possible, learn a skill to allow you improve your memory and accelerate your learning and for your brain to cope with the information deluge.

Have you ever had the feeling that your life is like a TV that keeps switching channels?  A tide of new information washes over you constantly; advertisements for new products, news about events in the Middle East or peace negotiations whose details are difficult to comprehend.  Instruction manuals are written in incomprehensible jargon and contracts or income tax forms are like a maze in which even experts can hardly find their way.

But the flow does not seem to stop and each year, more and more books are published and new magazines and newspapers clamor for our attention.  Cable and satellite TV bring literally hundreds of new television channels sheer amount of information on the internet is enough to give anyone a migraine.  With the coming of the information age, new media bring information from all around the world right into your computer or TV.  Some people are burdened by the flow of ideas.  They are afraid that they will be swamped in a torrent of information. 

When we feel that we are losing our perspective on the world, this restricts our perception and we start to get bogged down with little details.  Confusion will take over.  At the same time, we want to appear like enlightened adults capable of solid judgments, of forming our own opinions and making our own decisions.  Therefore, the challenge is to discover the best way to make smart choices from an excess of information.

Initially, you should think carefully about the goals you wish to achieve for the task at hand.  Maybe you have a speech and you want to become more self-confident and feel less apprehensive.  The first step is to visualize your intentions in solid terms.  Think about the body language and the words you want to convey for a particular occasion.  Take care to formulate every detail in your mind.  Also, ask yourself the critical question as to whether your goal can be achieved.  Think about your alternatives-in case you don’t reach your goal-and at all costs, think about the needs of those around you.

Once you know exactly what you are aiming for – and why – you can tackle the flood of information with precision.  Here, the basic rule should be as follows, limit the information you take in to whatever you need to achieve your goals and to what motivates you personally.  You can confidently ignore everything else.  The sheer weight of information would then be more manageable giving you less stress as you sift out what is more pertinent to your  goals.