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Working productively: Dealing with information overload

Although technology helps us work better and faster, it can also have some drawbacks, including causing information overload, also known as TechnoStress. Information overload -- the state of having too much information at our fingertips at once -- has become a way of life for many people. We're bombarded with emails, voice mails, pages, Web sites and cell phone calls, all of which are vying for our attention at the same time.

Having so much information at your fingertips certainly has benefits, but it can be counterproductive if it prevents you from accomplishing the things you really need to get done or keeps you from making good decisions.

The workplace is often a major source of information overload, because you may feel pressure from multiple sources to respond immediately to incoming emails, phone calls or faxes while focusing on your work. Below are strategies for taming information overload on the job.

Know your priorities
At the beginning of your work day, determine what you want to accomplish. Respond to emails and calls related to your daily objective promptly, but give a lower priority to less vital communications.

Don't let email dominate
It's easy to get into a habit of constantly checking and responding to email. But doing so may interrupt your thought process -- making it hard to accomplish anything else. You'll be better off if you designate specific times of the day to handle email. For example, you may be able to stay on top of email with two daily 20-minute sessions -- one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Use the "triage" system
When you are scanning your inbox, separate emails into three categories: those that require an immediate response, those that can wait a day and those that don't require any response at all. This way, you'll make sure you see the urgent messages and you won't waste time responding to emails that aren't important.

Separate work and personal communications
Ask your friends and family to send email messages to a personal account instead of your work account to reduce on-the-job interruptions.

Minimize distracting technology
If you need to focus and you have a laptop, bring it into a conference room, away from incoming emails, coworkers and phones. If that's not possible, block out some time for focused work by letting coworkers know that you're unavailable, setting your phone so that voice mail automatically picks up, setting an out-of-office or busy auto-reply on your email, and blocking out time in your schedule.

Finally, think carefully about the technology you currently use. With each new device you add to your life, always take some time to make sure it has a beneficial effect and that you're using it wisely. This will help you overcome information overload and feel less stressed.

This article is adapted from Ceridian's LifeWorks Online service. Contact your Ceridian representative for more information about Ceridian's employee effectiveness solutions.