From WTMI š¤Æ to MI š¤ (Manageable Information)
A deep dive into information overload and our choice to sink or swim.
Remember the days when we had the option of watching a television show (we had a choice of about four channels) OR reading something printed on paper? The simplicity of our former lives seems foreign compared to todayās barrage of information.
WTMI (Way Too Much Information) usually refers to sharing gross or socially inappropriate information in public. But what about the epidemic of Way Too Much (Acceptable and Appropriate) Information? I often get the sense weāre drowning in information overload.
We all jumped on the email bandwagon about 25 years ago (I would have been in my mid-30s). I opened my Facebook account in 2007, when it was nothing like the advertising, algorithmic beast it is today. Instagram and others followed.
Thatās just the tip of todayās information iceberg.
When our friends recommend good books, we add them to our TBR (To Be Read) lists. Our library apps1 give us free and readily available access to ebooks and audiobooks. Sadly, my TBR list grows faster than my ābooks readā list.
Then, there are our shows. Netflix, Hulu, Prime, etc.āall offer great movies and TV series. Do you have a TBW (To Be Watched) list? Mine is in my head, which isnāt the best place, LOL! (Now, what was that show I wanted to watch?).
And can we talk about podcasts? Oh. my. goodness. There are so many gems out there! Of course, the podcasters and their interviewees inspire another book, show, or podcast to be added to our TBR, TBW, and TLT (To Listen To) lists!
Substackā¦a party for writers and readers. š
The latest addition to my WTMI problem is Substack. I love it, I really do. Itās a party of smart and kind writers and readers. You visit with one writer for a while, and they introduce you to someone else, and after spending some time with them, another person walks up and joins the conversation and, well, you get the picture.
My Substack party began about a year ago. I was shy when I first walked in the door. But writers like Aimee Guest said a friendly āhello,ā and Sarah Fay from Substack Writers at Work saw me (and several others) standing alone in the corners, and introduced us to each other. My Substack circle of friends (Linda Cobourn, Deb Alexander, Cherie Lee, Sarah E. Westfall, Caryn Rivadeneira to name a few) just keeps growing and the party never ends!
The problem isā¦
There arenāt enough hours in the day to check email, scroll social media, read/write on Substack, listen to podcasts, watch Netflix, and read the books that we donāt want to miss! (Another epidemic related to WTMI is FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), which Iāve succumbed to on more than one occasion.)
Sink, swim, or be rescued. š
We are immersed in information. The crashing waves of TME (Too Much Everything), engulf us, while the island of TIME is shrinking away on the horizon.
Before you mistakenly assume Iāve found a rescue boat, let me just say, Iām still swimming and going under at times. Iād love to hear what lifeboats youāve found! Here are a few things Iāve tried to keep me from sinking.2 Maybe theyāll keep you afloat too.
Chunk it. š§©
No, I didnāt say āchuck it!ā š When dealing with information, itās easier if we chunk similar bits together. (You know how you put similar colored pieces together when doing a jigsaw puzzle to make it more manageable? Same idea.)
Iāve started grouping my podcasts not only by theme but also by days of the week. (E.g. Daily Favs, Writing Monday, Faith Tuesday, Good Life Wednesday, etc.). It has relieved some decision-making about which episode to play next and streamlined my listening.
I hope to set aside similar blocks of time for handling other bits of information.
Turn off dings. šļø Turn on āFocus.ā š
When Iām typing away on a story or deep into a good book, and something goes āding!ā or appears in the top right corner of my screen, Iām like the dog who says āsquirrel!ā and I start chasing it. Turning off notifications and instead, inserting breaks every hour or two to check email and texts, maintains focus where it should be.
Most phones have a āFocusā feature you can turn on when working, reading, sleeping, driving, etc. Since I often struggle to fall asleep, I now use āSleep Focusā every night. It prevents those annoying texts from buzzing and lighting up the room just as Iām drifting off. āFocusā is great for reading and writing as well.
Be choosy. š š
One way to avoid āoverloadā is to lighten the load when it doesnāt serve you. In deciding which podcasts, Substacks, and email lists we subscribe to, being choosy means screening first. Read or listen to a couple of posts/episodes before signing up.
Also, once weāve subscribed, weāre not obligated to digest everything we receive. Taking 30 seconds to scan the headline or topic before wasting 50, 15, or even 5 minutes engrossed in a story we donāt care about (and therefore wonāt remember) will keep us afloat in the flood of words coming our way. (Hint: Itās also fine to end an episode/story/book midstream if youāre just not into it.)
Unsubscribe. š«
For frequent sales ads and campaign emails, the decision to unsubscribe is easy. But doing so for writers or podcasters Iāve subscribed to is harder, perhaps, because Iāve been on the receiving end and know how painful it is to āloseā a reader. We writers are tender souls and when we see an āunsubscribeā message, we cry a little on the inside. (I assume if youāve read this far, you wonāt take that route today!)
I also acknowledge time is not infinite. If a writer and reader are no longer connecting because of time constraints, changing needs, or other factors, then it is time to say goodbye.
Add movement, mindfulness, and music. šš§āāļøšµ
The more we fill our time and space with information, the less we have available for movement, music, and mindfulnessāthree keys to relaxation. Though itās hard to pick myself up from my comfy chair, a walk, bike ride, or even a little housecleaning can refresh my mind and body.
Music fills my soul in ways I canāt explain. These days, I remind myself to periodically opt for music over podcasts or audiobooks, to get my daily soul-boost.
Breathing and mindfulness exercises can lower blood pressure and improve physical and mental health in several ways.3 Allowing our brains time to un-focus and just ābeā keeps us from sinking into overwhelm.
Finish one thing at a time. š
Sometimes multi-tasking works. Can we empty the dishwasher or vacuum while listening to a podcast? You bet! Can we knit while watching a show or drive while listening to an audiobook? Definitely.
But, I cannot read email while talking to my mother-in-law on the phone. (Iāve tried. And missed the conversation.) I cannot play Connections or Wordle while watching the Today Show (I mean, I can, but I miss something every time). When switching from writing a story to checking emails or texts, my thoughts get lost.
Our minds like to focus onāand finishāone thing at a time.
While writing this post, I wanted to stop and read my book. But, I reminded myself: Focus on and finish this first. So nowā¦
ā¦back to my book! Or should I listen to that podcast? But wait, I wanted to read a few Substack posts. Oh phooey! Iāll just turn on Netflix.
Uhhgggā¦you see? Iām not there yet. But Iām trying!
How do you deal with information overload? Please share your suggestions!
1 My favorite library apps are Libby and Hoopla.
2 Several of these suggestions were gathered and paraphrased from this Forbes article.
3 To learn more about mindfulness, I highly recommend: The Mindful Christian: Cultivating a Life of Intentionality, Openness, and Faith.