Information overload is the new peril in daily project completion. It's easy to find
yourself diverted, distracted, or simply bogged down with the tide of information
that can arrive on your computer screen in the course of a working day. The
internet, while bringing a revolution in accessible information like never seen
before, is a tide that brings with it debris as well as treasure. It is taking longer for
the intrepid explorer to search out what they need simply due to the sheer volume
of web sites now in existence.
Whether you're engaged in researching, or writing, or group work projects, the
chances are that you will be trudging through web site after web site gathering what
you specifically need to complete the task at hand.
Here are my 5 favourite strategies for keeping on track and getting the job done
without diversions or breakdowns on the hard shoulder of the information
superhighway:
1. Questions, questions
Ask yourself constantly does this directly serve the purpose of what I am working on
right now.
This is a yes/no question. Grey answers will lead to grey results in what you're
trying to get done.
If your answer is yes, then all well and good and on you go...
If it's no - then leave it be. Literally, let it go and move on...
2. Trust Yourself
This is an extension of the above - if you answered no to your "purpose" question -
then you have to trust yourself that if this new information is really of value for a
future project, you will remember it.
Sometimes I literally say to myself "OK if this is really important, I'll remember it
sometime in the future where it fits in with what I'm doing then."
That really does clear some mental space and saves a lot of time that might
otherwise be spent vacillating, or taking a trip to diversion land.
3. Trust Yourself
No, that's not an accidental repetition. This time it's about trusting what you know.
Let yourself reveal your knowledge on any given subject with the minimal reading.
Research reading has to be specific and focused and question number one is, once
again, very useful here. Make starting easy by working with what interests you first.
4. Set your Antennae
Keeping your specific task set in your mind is like tuning your radio to a set
frequency. If you want to listen to some classical music and you keep your tuner set
to scan you are only going to receive some occasional short and sporadic bursts of
what you want to hear.
The same is true with your work, it's amazing how much more specific and useful
information actually gets through when you are single minded in your approach to
research and project progression.
It is literally like you can tune in to what you need and skip the distracting
commercials and that is a powerful thing.
5. Get Creative
Visual creative planning is the single best thing I ever learned for project planning
and completion for training courses, workshops, articles and books. My favoured
system is Tony Buzan's Mind Mapping. If you've never tried Mind Mapping a quick
Google search will reveal enough to get you started.
These are my personal 5 key tips for staying on track and having an enjoyable time
while I'm there. If you have some of your own, I recommend you jot them down and
have them near your workplace for some support and inspiration during times of
information flooding!
Ananga Sivyer is a contributing editor and health consultant for LifeScape
magazine and the author of the highly acclaimed self-help workbook: "The
Art & Science of Emotional Freedom".
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