Death by Information Overload

Can everyone just stop whining about information overload? I mean, in the knowledge economy, information is our most valuable commodity.

And these days it’s available in almost infinite abundance, delivered automatically to our electronic devices or accessible with a few mouse clicks. So buck up, already!

Can everyone just stop whining about information overload? I mean, in the knowledge economy, information is our most valuable commodity.

And these days it’s available in almost infinite abundance, delivered automatically to our electronic devices or accessible with a few mouse clicks. So buck up, already!

Wait a second: CanI just stop whining about information overload?

The flood of information that swamps me daily seems to produce more pain than gain. And it’s not just the incoming tidal wave of e-mail messages and RSS feeds that causes me grief. It’s also the vast ocean of information I feel compelled to go out and explore in order to keep up in my job.

Current research suggests that the surging volume of available information—and its interruption of people’s work—can adversely affect not only personal well-being but also decision making, innovation, and productivity. In one study, for example, people took an average of nearly 25 minutes to return to a work task after an e-mail interruption. That’s bad news for both individuals and their organizations.

Continues @ http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org