coping with information overload sarah houghton-jan assistant director san rafael public library...
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Coping with Information Overload
Sarah Houghton-JanAssistant DirectorSan Rafael Public Libraryauthor of LibrarianInBlack.net
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What happened to us?
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““We have become far more We have become far more proficient in generating proficient in generating information than we are in information than we are in managing it, and we have managing it, and we have also built technology that also built technology that easily allows us to create new easily allows us to create new information without human information without human intervention.” intervention.”
~Jonathan B. Spira ~Jonathan B. Spira
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““In an online world of small In an online world of small pieces loosely joined, librarians pieces loosely joined, librarians are among the most well are among the most well qualified and highly motivated qualified and highly motivated joiners of those pieces.” joiners of those pieces.”
~ John Udell – “Remixing the ~ John Udell – “Remixing the Library”Library”
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where does information overload come from?
the desire to know and to be a the desire to know and to be a part of things.part of things.
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effects of info overload28% (2.1 hours) of a knowledge worker’s
day is consumed by interruptions.
--2005 Basex survey
IQ scores when interrupted by emails/phone calls = 10 points lower (smoking marijuana = 4 points lower).
--2005 University of London study
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Attention Deficit Trait: a sustained negative neurological effect of information overload.
“The brain and body get locked into a reverberating circuit while the brain's frontal lobes lose their sophistication...People with ADT have difficulty staying organised, setting priorities, and managing time, and they feel a constant low level of panic and guilt.”
--"Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People Underperform." E.M. Hallowell.
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control the influx
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inventory your inputs
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Inventory all of your devices (work and home), and what you view on each.
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weed, weed, weed... mercilessly!
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teach others communication etiquette
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organizational skills
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work toward your goals through daily and weekly tasks
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"To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing." -- Eva Young
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file things immediately - automate if possible
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organize like with like
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take a class on file management
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file new things away•choose a method for tracking
ideas & files (del.icio.us, Word, Evernote)
•might be multiple methods
•think about what you’re saving
•name the file topically & specifically
•add dates (YYMMDD) for periodic stuff
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keep a master waiting list of what’s owed to you
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stay neat (virtually & physically)
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try new things and see if tech works for you, even if you fall away in the end
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time management skills
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Keep a detailed time diary (10 min increments) for 1 week. ~~~Write down what you do and why (no lying). ~~~Review the results for efficiencies, distractability, time of day patterns, etc.
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use your calendar to its fullest capabilities
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schedule yourself to organize and do unscheduled work
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take breaks. no, for real.
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use downtime
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stress management skills
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schedule unplugged time
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unplug at will
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eliminate stressful interruptions
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you choose when you interact with technology or information
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cut down your to-do list to what really matters
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learn how to say NO
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at home, set up a quick consistent way to note to yourself urgent work issues
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balance your life to your own standards
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think of information as a stream, not a lake.
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tips for dealing with specific types of information
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print information
Decide: do you prefer print to digital?
If it’s unread 3 issues in a row, unsubscribe
Get rid of “the pile”
Unsubscribe from catalogs: CatalogChoice.org
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online newsletters
How is it being pushed to you? Best way?
If it’s unread 3 issues in a row, unsubscribe
If via email, create filters to put all new issues into one folder
Get rid of “the digital pile”
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online learning
Schedule yourself for live sessions
No multi-tasking during sessions
Keep a wish list of archived sessions
Build these into your yearly training goals
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email overload
Start scheduling email scan time
Use email only when appropriate
Deal with email by subject
Use folders and filters
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& more email overload tipsFlag and file items for follow-up
INBOX ZERO
Follow good email etiquette
Delete and archive
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email listservs
Filter into folders
Weed your listservs heavily
If you ignore a listserv for 2 weeks, unsubscribe
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blogs
If 5+ blogs, use RSS (Google Reader)
Review daily, or at least weekly (if few)
Flag and file items for follow-up
Periodically weed feeds
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RSS
Use RSS when appropriate
Organize feeds into folders
If an avid RSS user, use it to send you reminders during the day
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interruptive tech overloadPhones, text messaging, IM
Check when you want to
Use your status message well
Turn it OFF
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social networks
Pick a primary network
Sort contacts into groups
Schedule time to interact, read updates
Choose one alert type (email, SMS, pop-up)
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Think of it as a stream, not a lake
Use a Twitter client: Tweetdeck or Hootsuite
Flag items for follow-up (Evernote, email)
Regularly weed the people you follow
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netcasts
Replace radio with podcasts
Use a client like Google Listen or iTunes
Regularly weed your subscriptions
If nothing useful for 3 shows, unsubscribe
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serendipitous surfing
Have a method for tracking useful finds (Evernote, wiki, blog, bookmarks)
Weed mercilessly
Surfing = time suck
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“[I]f you want to use current information technologies fully to address the problems and opportunities that your library faces, then you must quit complaining and lock and load.”
--Roy Tennant, Library Journal 2003
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pick what works for you.
only do what you only do what you realistically will follow up on.realistically will follow up on.
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above all else, breathe.
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Further Resources
“Being Wired or Being Tired: 10 Ways to Cope with Information Overload” by Sarah Houghton-Jan (from Ariadne)
"How to Stop Your Inbox Exploding" by Cory Doctorow
Information Overload: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us by Jonathan B. Spira