2008: Year of Information Overload

First of all, let me wish all of you a happy 2008. Wish that everyone will become more productive with the proper use of technology.

According to research firm Basex, Information Overload will be the problem of the year. In fact I have been facing this problem ever since I am linked to the computer. Countless emails, numerous RSS feeds and advertising SMSes. And that is one of the reason that why I do not have time to blog regularly. I have been very eager in picking up knowledge in the area of knowledge management such that I signed up a lot of newsletters and RSS feeds.

Here are some tips to share with everyone.

Some of the ways of reducing information overload for yourself:

1. Be selective on what you want to know/learn - Understand that your time is limited and your brain can only digest a limited amount of knowledge
2. Use tools - Like spam filters to remove unnecessary emails or issue trackers to record down the tasks
3. Adopt best practices -Like checking emails only at scheduled times so that you do not get distracted from work.

Some of the ways of reducing information overload for others:

1. Reduce the amount of unnecessary information that you generate
2. Organize your information in a reader friendly format.
3. Avoid emailing - email only when action is required
4. Use wiki or blogs to record the information - so that people who are interested can subscribe to it
5. Communicate - it is better to discuss on the phone or face to face than to have a long chain of email discussions.

Any more great ideas?