David Russell

Lately, I’ve been bombarded with information from a wide variety of sources. Most of the noise is self-inflicted. So I’ve been contemplating several ideas about managing information.

The Source of Information

I’m curious about how the source of information creates an amount of signal or noise. Since everything is either useful or useless to me, given that my experiences create such a filter, I should be able to find information sources that give me brilliantly useful information with little noise. And, in most cases, that’s where I aim.

But I have learned of other variables that play into the value of the information.

• Timeliness - If I receive the information in a timely manner, it is much more valuable than receiving the same information a day late. It might sound trivial to some, but poor information management could mean that you are simply not receiving good information when it is most valuable. Practically, we should learn to tap information resources diligently.
• Redundancy - Occasionally, we receive information from a wide variety of sources that are all saying the same thing. It might be a breaking news story, or a simple tidbit of water cooler talk surrounding the latest office memorandum. No matter the case, hearing information too often can be problematic. Practically, we need to pare our sources to prevent duplication.
• Volume - This is the toughest problem for information addicts. The tendency is to over-stimulate our minds with information in an attempt to feel complete. Yet, it is not humanly possible to gather and retain the level of information that most of us attempt to manage. Practically, we need to remove information sources, find the few quality sources that can make the difference and, most importantly, find contentment in retaining the top-level of information while disregarding the rest. Often, we gather for the sake of gathering and find ourselves rather inefficiently equipped with too much noise and not enough signal.

Certainly, the net can be cast much wider than that. Think about other ways that information sources bog us down.

The Use of Information

This is the benchmark for the value of information: how we use it. Good information is important. It can change a perspective, change a focus, or even change a life. Bad information is useless. It wastes time, resources and energy.

How we use information can determine its value to us and to others. Sometimes we mismanage good information and devalue it by irresponsibly passing it to people who are simply not relevant to the matter. We’ve all received that email CC from someone in the office. There are times when “out of the loop” is just fine! Other times we fail to pass on information that is pertinent to someone. We can so easily misuse information and cause conflict.

Managing information productively is an art form. It takes time to craft, but with experience you can manage wisely.

The Absence of Information

The final thought I’ve had is one that runs against the grain of the whole idea of information management: how can we remove information from our routines? And, if we do remove information, what happens?

This is more of an experiment than the other two thoughts. I’m intrigued by the thought that it might be very empowering to significantly reduce the weight of information that is passed to me each day. There is a delicate balance here. I don’t want to live under a rock and not take in information that has real importance in my life. But I do want to remove the sources of information that are reducing my margin for creativity and critical thinking. Much like a clogged artery that blocks the flow of resources to the heart, I believe our minds can be held captive by over-processing too much information. For many of us, turning off the television, putting down the book or logging off the computer would be a wonderful step toward improved information management. It’s a challenge that is hitting home with me lately and I’m constantly looking for ways to increase that margin. So far, I’m amazed by the little things that have returned on my investment. But I think there is a long-term reward as well.

You know, I haven’t been writing nearly as much as I’d like. I haven’t been playing guitar as much as I’d like. I haven’t relaxed as much as I’d like. Admittedly, it’s because I have not really taken control of information or explored ways to increase valuable information or reduce invaluable information in my life. Information management is a personal challenge and one that I’ve come to take quite seriously! If you are on a similar journey, or if you’ve been inspired to manage information more efficiently, let me know.

[tags]information, management, overload, productivity, life[/tags]