How Do You Cope With Information Overload?

We live in a technologically advanced world that has made life complicated and stressful. With the click of a button, GPS navigation systems give coordinates to our destination. Cellphones can be used to check email, transfer money to a bank account, surf the Internet, and much more. Mp3 players enable us to listen to whatever we want, wherever we want. This has created a mindset in which we demand instant access to anything we want.

Everything is push-button, at our fingertips.

Yet, all previous generations survived without laptop computers, cellphones, digital cameras, text messages, etc. Although technology has tremendous benefits, it does have its negative aspects. It can rob us of the necessary downtime we need. Websites, RSS feeds, digital devices, books, magazines, phone calls, emails, letters, bills and school papers have created a very stressful environment in which to live. Technology can take away our time to think, to pause, meditate and plan.

How do you deal with information overload? How do you cope with being surrounded by electronics 24/7, 365 days a year? Are you able to be alone with your thoughts, to meditate on something for more than a few minutes? Studies have proven that our attention spans have actually been shortened due to television and the Internet. But before looking at a few ways you can better handle this lifestyle, let’s examine the effect it has on us.

Too Much Information to Process

Technology affects us in ways we probably do not realize. Young people, not having experienced life as it was 100 or even 50 years ago, do not have the perspective to see how society has changed. Why is it that the more technologically advanced we become, the more we complicate our lives? Your cellphone and its features should simplify your life, right? Yet most of the time these devices make life more complicated. It is another bill to pay, another piece of technology to maintain, another battery to charge, another device that keeps the flow of information streaming into already overloaded minds.

Today, information bombards us so fast, and in a constant stream, that it is virtually impossible to process it all. In this stream, there is no break unless we create one—unless we turn off our car radio, television or cellphone. The author of “Information Overload: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us,” Jonathon Spira, puts it this way: “We have become far more proficient in generating information than we are in managing it, and we have also built technology that easily allows us to create new information without human intervention.”

In other words, we have built computers to generate information, but we do not have enough people or time to process it. This has meant we have had little time to stop and think. And this has resulted in a number of negative side effects.

Studies have revealed that information overload can lead to a tendency to ignore anything past the first few options when making a decision, making more mistakes, having difficulty relating the details to the overall issue, and wasting time.

Psychiatrist E.M. Hallowell calls the neurological effect of information overload Attention Deficit Trait, or ADT. In an article in the Harvard Business Review, Mr. Hallowell wrote, “It isn’t an illness; it’s purely a response to the hyperkinetic environment in which we live....When [someone] is desperately trying to deal with more input than he possibly can, the brain and body get locked into a reverberating circuit while the brain’s frontal lobes lose their sophistication, as if vinegar were added to wine. The result is black-and-white thinking; perspective and shades of gray disappear. People with ADT have difficulty staying organised, setting priorities, and managing time, and they feel a constant low level of panic and guilt.”

Who Is in Control?

Does technology serve you, or do you serve technology?

For example, do you use your cellphone as a wonderful tool to communicate with others when it is necessary or appropriate, or do you allow it to distract you from a family dinner? When your parents try to hold a meaningful conversation with you and your siblings at the dinner table, are you texting your friends with one hand under the table? Teenagers and young people often do bring their cellphones to the dinner table, family gatherings, movie theaters and restaurants. While this is commonplace in the world, it is absolutely unacceptable in God’s Church. It is disrespectful to whomever they are with, and is a misuse of a beneficial piece of technology.

Cellphones allow us to be connected while mobile, but they must be used responsibly. The purpose of a cellphone demands that we always carry them and that their batteries are fully charged at all times. Although it is good to be accessible to people, sometimes you do not want to be or it is not appropriate. For instance, when interviewing for a job, you would definitely not want to leave your cellphone turned on!

Lack of judgment exists in the above examples. Sometimes it is important and absolutely necessary to use a GPS system. Other times, it is unnecessary and complicates what you are trying to do. Recognize that there is a time and a place for technology.

Slow Down

But how does one combat the negative effects of information overload?

First, it is important to understand the benefits of frequent meditation. Recently, a doctor used MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans to compare brains of those who have meditated against those who have not. The research indicated that one’s breathing rate has an effect on the thickness of parts of the cortex—meaning that those who meditate frequently (and as a result have slower breathing rates) develop thicker cortexes. This produces positive effects on sensory, cognitive and emotional processing in the brain, along with an increase in activity on the left side of the brain, which is associated with happiness and enthusiasm.

Besides meditation, some suggest taking time for face-to-face interactions throughout the day. Some call these “human moments.” They can help break up a day, so we do not feel overwhelmed by technology.

Another area that can help us with stress levels is getting enough sleep, maintaining a good diet and exercising regularly.

It is also important to keep our workspace and living space tidy and clean. This will help give us peace of mind to deal with information as it comes.

In addition, you can set aside a specific time of day as “email free.” If you are not one who regularly surfs the Internet or checks email, this may not apply to you. But if you are, make sure you are not spending inordinate amounts of time on the Internet. Take a break and only allot a certain amount of time per day for this. (According to an America Online study, people check their email on average at least five times a day.)

Another way you can win against the battle of information overload is by controlling the stream of information. Recognize that you control what kind of information you receive and how you receive it. You decide what television stations to watch. You decide the number of features on your cellphone. If you struggle with the constant desire to check your email, a cellphone with Internet capability is probably not for you. Strive to control what information you receive if you feel overwhelmed.

Again, make it a habit every day to shut off all technology and take time to think. Recognize that when you have had a long, stressful day at school or work you should take a little time for yourself to relax. This does not always mean watching a movie or a four-hour television special. It could be a short walk, or just sitting on a park bench and enjoying the outdoors. Do whatever wholesome activity it is you enjoy and is beneficial for you. Meditate on the day’s events or hold a conversation with a family member or a friend.

By slowing down and taking time to think, you will reap many benefits while also avoiding the negative effects that can result from information overload.