How do you manage information?
Seth Godin recently had a short blog post that said these (frightening) things:
Every 18 months for the last decade, the world has doubled the data it pushes to you.
Twice as much email, twice as many friend requests, twice as many sites to check, twice as many devices.
He also asks a couple questions:
When does your mind lose the ability to keep up? Then what happens? Is it already happening?
Like I said, frightening.
One of the jobs of servant leaders is to manage the information that is coming our way. It’s important to be proactive about it, I think—to have some systems for addressing all that information as well as some criteria for choosing which pieces I let in. Here are some of my own guidelines:
- I have a goal of having an empty inbox before I go to bed each night. This means every email has been dealt with directly or moved to the Action, Waiting on or Someday box ( love the multiple inboxes in Gmail!)
- I do NOT open email that is advertising.
- Once a week, I unsubscribe from any email lists I’ve gotten on that I don’t want to be on.
- I practice a fast from technology for a couple hours (at least) on my day off. No phone, no internet, no Twitter, no Facebook.
- I use Google reader to read blogs that I am interested in, which saves time because the blogs come to me, I don’t have to go hunting for the blogs. I give myself full permission to hit the “mark all as read” button if I haven’t gotten to it in a couple days. New start!
- I play not one game on Facebook. No Farkle or Farmville or Mafia Whatever…not saying this should be anyone else’s rule, but it is mine. If you want me to play a game, I’m not doing it—not because I don’t like you, it’s because I don’t play games on Facebook.
- I never join “likes” on Facebook. If you asked me to join one and I didn’t it’s not necessarily because I don’t believe in your cause, it’s because I don’t join “likes” on Facebook.
- I write three handwritten notes a week. Good to slow down and write and take my time with the information about people that really matters: what I appreciate about them, or how I’m praying for them.
So how about you….how do you manage information in these crazy information-onslaught days?
Tags: Seth Godin
It is so easy to let the information deluge drown my fire! I like to visit my email only a couple times each day. I have been using the phone as my first response when possible. A conversation sometimes has the impact of a hand written message. It generally ends up I like Sue’s idea of handwriting a note,too.
Hi, Dave- I have noticed and appreciated that about you, as far as the phone. And I agree, it’s more personal than email. Thanks for the comment!!
Sue… been out in the wilds so I am slow to get back on site. I am impressed with your boundaries regarding managing information.
The issue for me is still what do I do with what I receive…there is managing what’s coming, what in my face, and what once was on my screen.
You have helped me think about the gate or what’s coming at me. Thanks…