Who isn't battling Information Overload?

According to Daniel Levitin, McGill University psychology professor " Americans took in five times as much information every day in 2011 as they did in 1986". In 1976 the average grocery store had 9,000 products, today its 40,000 products. All of this is more than the brain is configured to handle.

Levitin says there are steps we can take to reduce Information Overload. I've condensed his 10 steps to the 5 most important ones. (Read all ten, and the full article "Ten Steps to Conquering Information Overload" authored by Laura Shin.)

1. Don't Multi-task - Switching between tasks will actually make you feel exhausted, disoriented and anxious says Levitin.

2. Take Breaks - "People who take a 15-minute break every couple of hours are much more efficient in the long run".

3. Delegate - Push down authority and empower people under them to exercise their good judgment.

4. Daydream - the daydreaming mode acts as a neural reset button and replenishes some of the glucose you use up in staying on a task.

5. Do Toughest Tasks in the Morning - "Important decisions should be made at the beginning of the day, when gumption and glucose are highest".

Editor's Note: CR4 would like to thank Larry Butz, President, GEA Consulting Associate, for contributing this blog entry.