Information is everywhere.

The internet fills our screens 24/7 with anything and everything we can possibly want to know. Then the dreaded “pop ups” pull us off track even further into yet another article that we seem to “have to read right now”. It’s like drinking water from a fire hydrant. Much of it will spill out and be lost.

Everyone is in such a hurry these days trying to do too much with too little time. We live in a “gotta have it now” society and we’re fast-forwarding through our lives while missing the best part – the present moment. Unfortunately our minds and bodies are paying the price from lack of sleep, improper nutrition, and numerous other stresses of living in today’s world.  

Feeling Too Much Stress

One of the main symptoms of information overload is to feel stress. Some people feel like their brain is being bombarded by so much information that it’s as though it comes in one side and goes out the other. This causes people to forget things, which makes the stress build.  

Lack of Confidence

When there is so much contrary information available, it’s hard for people to choose the right course of action. For example, there are numerous reports that spanking is both bad for kids and good for kids. How do you know what information is right and what is wrong, and how do you proceed? The lack of confidence can cause people to not make any choices or feel bad about the choices they make.  

Improper Information Filtering

When too much information is transmitted, the person receiving it often shuts off in a way. Normally the filtering process categorizes information as important or not important, but when there is too much there is often improper filtering called twigging. This essentially means that everything is general and all information is the same.  

Not Knowing What’s Right or Wrong

When there is so much information with seemingly factual studies supporting them, it’s hard to know what’s factually correct or wrong.

Feeling Confused about Common Knowledge

When you don’t know what information is real, what’s right and wrong, and you can’t see the details for the forest, it leads to confusion about things that people generally know to be true about the world.  

Increasing the Fear of Change

When you can’t determine what the information you receive means, it can cause you to fear change because you don’t know if that change is good or bad. Since information overload leads to black and white thinking, this can increase the fear of change that most people have naturally.

Taking on Too Much Too Fast

Sometimes information overload can make people feel as if they can multitask everything and do more than they can. But the truth is, as shown in study after study, humans aren’t designed for multitasking. Check out this Forbes article about multitasking:  Multi-tasking Damages Your Brain and Career New Studies Suggest – Forbes – By Travis Bradberry.

Bottom Line

You can work toward controlling information overload. Limit your exposure to screens and try to focus on what you’re doing at the time you’re doing it. Take 15-20 minute breaks. Avoid multitasking whenever you can especially if it’s necessary to absorb the information at hand properly.