The New York Times reported that the average U.S. executive still wastes six working weeks a year searching through paper piles and computer files. That is twelve percent of that executive’s paycheck! Even worse, that is twelve percent of their time traded for zero results.
For business owners intent on making their enterprise more profitable, this statistic rings alarm bells. By definition, executives can delegate tasks to someone else. Do you have people to delegate your work to? Whether you do or not, how much would your business improve with six more weeks each year invested in your success?
The frustration is clear in this comment from the vice-president of a family-owned firm: “I knew I was creating more work for myself than was necessary because of not having a systematic approach for dealing with the huge amount of time-critical information that arrives daily in the form of paper, files, reading materials and e-mail.”
Just the sheer volume of input can be overwhelming for the most experienced professional in any industry. So, here are the best-practice tips I shared with this VP, to help you overcome information overload.
The best information management lesson that I learned as a kid came from watching the TV show M*A*S*H ®. The Mobile Army Surgical Hospital teams had the best casualty save rates in history. Why? First, the MASH teams were only five miles from the frontlines. Secondly, all medical personnel used triage from the injury site to the recovery tent. The medical art of triage means asking the right questions at the right time, all the way through any critical process.
In our current emergency state of information pollution triage is your key skill. One client (retired military) refers to his arriving e-mail and snail-mail as “INCOMING!!!” You must triage paper or computer information from arrival, all the way to archives or backups.
If you feel like my clients and colleagues who say they are bleeding information at the seams… Begin by putting a trashcan near your mail drop and not letting yourself get past it until you’ve junked everything you can. You’ll toss more, if you stand up while you recycle!
There is a famous story about an interviewer who asked Albert Einstein why he didn’t even know his own home phone number. Einstein replied simply, “Because I do not use it.” If you do not know how you will use the information piled in front of you, chances are good that by the time you do need it, that information will have changed.
Although most of us aren’t geniuses, creating your own Hot Questions to Melt Information Overload really helps. Whether it is paper or computer information, the more specific your questions, the better your results will be. Now, you can have ‘garbage in’ and do better than ‘compost out’ because you won’t let it into your office and information systems.
Hot Questions to Melt Information Overload
1. “Can I get this info elsewhere if I do need it?” If yes, recycle it or give it to a colleague or client, but, let go of it.
2. “Can I use this directly in my current profession or business?” Most information is obsolete in six months — if not sooner.
3. “Now that I've read it and understand it—Do I need to keep it?” Keep legally required records (contracts, personnel actions) or your own tax/financial documents.
4. “Will I need to look at this paper/e-mail again because it’s so complex (legal, statistical) that I will have to review the information to use it?” If not, TRASH.
5. “Who am I taking this action for?” (Your boss or a colleague? Your $20,000-contract client OR a $1,000.00-contract client?) Prioritize by WHO
6. “When is this due?” When our brains prioritize, the due date is actually more important than the ‘what’ that needs doing! Put ‘reminder info’ by date into your paper and e-mail Tickler systems.
Steelcase, Inc. experts have documented that 80% of the clutter in your work environment is disorganization; it's not a lack of space. Do you know what put every single piece of clutter in your office? It’s a question, “What do I do with this?” that was never answered. All information clutter is a series of unmade decisions.
Enjoy being ruthless while applying my best-practice tips to overcoming information overload. No one asks better questions or makes better decisions than you. And no one deserves that six ‘extra’ weeks a year more than you do!
For business owners intent on making their enterprise more profitable, this statistic rings alarm bells. By definition, executives can delegate tasks to someone else. Do you have people to delegate your work to? Whether you do or not, how much would your business improve with six more weeks each year invested in your success?
The frustration is clear in this comment from the vice-president of a family-owned firm: “I knew I was creating more work for myself than was necessary because of not having a systematic approach for dealing with the huge amount of time-critical information that arrives daily in the form of paper, files, reading materials and e-mail.”
Just the sheer volume of input can be overwhelming for the most experienced professional in any industry. So, here are the best-practice tips I shared with this VP, to help you overcome information overload.
The best information management lesson that I learned as a kid came from watching the TV show M*A*S*H ®. The Mobile Army Surgical Hospital teams had the best casualty save rates in history. Why? First, the MASH teams were only five miles from the frontlines. Secondly, all medical personnel used triage from the injury site to the recovery tent. The medical art of triage means asking the right questions at the right time, all the way through any critical process.
In our current emergency state of information pollution triage is your key skill. One client (retired military) refers to his arriving e-mail and snail-mail as “INCOMING!!!” You must triage paper or computer information from arrival, all the way to archives or backups.
If you feel like my clients and colleagues who say they are bleeding information at the seams… Begin by putting a trashcan near your mail drop and not letting yourself get past it until you’ve junked everything you can. You’ll toss more, if you stand up while you recycle!
There is a famous story about an interviewer who asked Albert Einstein why he didn’t even know his own home phone number. Einstein replied simply, “Because I do not use it.” If you do not know how you will use the information piled in front of you, chances are good that by the time you do need it, that information will have changed.
Although most of us aren’t geniuses, creating your own Hot Questions to Melt Information Overload really helps. Whether it is paper or computer information, the more specific your questions, the better your results will be. Now, you can have ‘garbage in’ and do better than ‘compost out’ because you won’t let it into your office and information systems.
Hot Questions to Melt Information Overload
1. “Can I get this info elsewhere if I do need it?” If yes, recycle it or give it to a colleague or client, but, let go of it.
2. “Can I use this directly in my current profession or business?” Most information is obsolete in six months — if not sooner.
3. “Now that I've read it and understand it—Do I need to keep it?” Keep legally required records (contracts, personnel actions) or your own tax/financial documents.
4. “Will I need to look at this paper/e-mail again because it’s so complex (legal, statistical) that I will have to review the information to use it?” If not, TRASH.
5. “Who am I taking this action for?” (Your boss or a colleague? Your $20,000-contract client OR a $1,000.00-contract client?) Prioritize by WHO
6. “When is this due?” When our brains prioritize, the due date is actually more important than the ‘what’ that needs doing! Put ‘reminder info’ by date into your paper and e-mail Tickler systems.
Steelcase, Inc. experts have documented that 80% of the clutter in your work environment is disorganization; it's not a lack of space. Do you know what put every single piece of clutter in your office? It’s a question, “What do I do with this?” that was never answered. All information clutter is a series of unmade decisions.
Enjoy being ruthless while applying my best-practice tips to overcoming information overload. No one asks better questions or makes better decisions than you. And no one deserves that six ‘extra’ weeks a year more than you do!
