Comments on: Information Overload? My name is Laura and I confess, I’m an addict.

By: Sean

Sean — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:22:36 +0000

Hi Laura, have you seen Clay Shirkys Information overload talk, very funny and informative

http://lifehacker.com/5052851/information-overload-is-filter-failure-says-shirky

By: Carl Haggerty

Carl Haggerty — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:18:36 +0000

Thanks Laura,

I love this post. i am personally trying to find more ways to balance and prioritise my work/life and it is great to hear the views of someone who is far more active than me and hear how you have developed simple strategies which still mean you can contribute.

I am going to try some of you ideas and i will pass them on to others who often say to me, how do you find the time to use twitter, blog and facebook etc. Your post will provide a good summary for a beginner in this world as well.

Carl

By: Jon Gibbins

Jon Gibbins — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:06:55 +0000

Great article, Laura. It’s given me some things to think about.

I’m trying out a few of the things you mentioned. I’m keeping email checking to the start and the end of the day. I’m slowly getting on top of my feed reader by checking through a few things every lunchtime. I’m also beginning to be quite ruthless when pruning my subscribed feeds and the people I follow on Twitter.

Christine mentioned needing a system for prioritising things. I’m trying to get back into the habit of using my Manage-Do flipbook, which is a GTD-esque way of brain-dumping, organising and prioritising tasks. I don’t do very well with software-based solutions, but having a flipbook that’s always in my pocket works for me. Having said that, I’ve been doing quite well managing my time with FreeMind lately. Anyway, it may be useful to someone else.

I too have often thought I’d give up on Twitter or Facebook, but they’re too valuable in their own ways. Instead, a disciplined self-management regime is starting to work for me - I no longer have nearly 100 “to read” tabs open in Firefox at least! I do still have hundreds of draft blog entries though!

My blog has been fairly quiet of late, despite all the drafts! I’ve just been too busy. I’ve settled for mostly technical web stuff mixed with the occasional personal viewpoint; it’s not a place for my personal stuff really. Personal stuff ends up on Facebook and Twitter and I try to abstain from other social apps. There’s a point at which it’s all too much for my brain!

By: FutureGov » Useful links » links for 2008-10-11

FutureGov » Useful links » links for 2008-10-11 — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:00:28 +0000

[...] Laura’s Notebook | Technology for Non-profit Organisations, Social Media and Accessible Website De… Not only a great post but it has also given birth to 'infobesity' as a term which I will be stealing with pride : ) (tags: information informationmanagement twitter rss blogs email) [...]

By: links for 2008-10-09 « andrewlewin: let me think about that …

links for 2008-10-09 « andrewlewin: let me think about that … — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:30:47 +0000

[...] Information Overload? My name is Laura and I’m an addict. The good thing about the internet: it's stuffed full of information. The bad thing? It's stuffed full of information. Getting overloaded is an everyday hazard, and the rise of blogs, RSS and Twitter are joining email as time sucks of exponential effect. How to cope? (tags: socialnetworking twitter rss information blogs email) No Comments Leave a Commenttrackback addressThere was an error with your comment, please try again. name (required)email (will not be published) (required)url [...]

By: Cammy Bean

Cammy Bean — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:49:06 +0000

Laura,

Lovely little post. As a recent Twitter convert and with the new immensity of Facebook, I’m struggling with these issues.

You’ve got some great strategies. So far, I mostly limit my online time to working hours and *try* not to dip in on the weekend (although then I feel behind!).

I loved Nick’s term “infobesity.”

By: Katbaloo

Katbaloo — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:51:18 +0000

laura,
enjoyed your sharing this. it is such a difficult balance to achieve and i am still struggling. i am looking forward to checking out firestatus, and plan on unplugging this weekend and making my own list of what i use, why i use it, etc. of course, i may not prove as strong as you in making my own adjustments!

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:52:11 +0000

If you’d like a tool for managing your time and projects, you can use this application inspired by David Allen’s GTD:

http://www.Gtdagenda.com

You can use it to manage and prioritize your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
A mobile version and iCal are available too.

By: Laura Whitehead’s wonderful post on information overload « Emma Mulqueeny

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:27:42 +0000

[...] on information overload 9 10 2008 In the interest of fairness, I am sending you all off to read Laura’s superb post on digital information management/life balance. Laura is a fan of twitter, and explains ere how best to use it, amongst other [...]

By: Nick Booth

Nick Booth — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:43:58 +0000

Our responsibility is to perhaps warn the people we help when they show early signs of infobesity.

That extra packet of cheese and interweb crisps is a choice we make, but sometimes one we regret.