If the 20th century was the age of information, the 21st century has become the age of information overload. Equipped with laptops, smartphones and tablets, we spend our days immersed in email, blogs, tweets, Facebook updates and endless data.
Technology is the way to work smarter and better in a global economy. Companies do business through websites, virtual conferences and email. Individuals grow their careers, knowledge and influence through LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs and Facebook updates. Yet, people talk frequently about being overwhelmed and out of touch with co-workers, family and their own thoughts as they respond constantly to the buzz of devices.
“You may be well-connected through social media, but are you connecting?” is a question that Darcy Eikenberg, Atlanta leadership and workplace coach and founder of Red Cape Revolution, often asks her clients. More to the point, “Are you using technology or is it using you?” she asks.
If you feel like you can’t unplug from work at night or on the weekends, if you’re speed-reading through multiple messages, and your day seems filled with needless interruptions, the latter may be true.
“Technology gave us great freedom and power, but no one taught us any rules for how to use it, so instead we’ve made up our own rules and assumptions. We might assume that we need to respond to a business email immediately, even if our boss is using a late-night flight to get some work done and the message comes in at 11 p.m.,” she said. “I doubt that’s the case.”
In her book, “Bring Your Superpowers to Work: Your Guide to More Clarity, Confidence and Control" (Red Cape Revolution Media, 2012), Eikenberg advocates that professionals pay close attention to their own needs and set their own technology rules to enhance their careers and life.
“Many of the stories we hear about career transformation are extreme makeovers and discouraging for people with jobs, families and obligations,” she said. “But setting some rules on technology is a small change that can have a big impact. You might find yourself less overwhelmed, and more creative.”
She suggests that people click less to connect more. Establish your own click-free zones. Maybe you turn your work cellphone off from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. to give yourself time to refresh. Or you turn off your device at lunch or in meetings, in order to focus on real conversation and the business at hand.
“It may be that you need to slow down in order to speed up,” Eikenberg said.
Jason Womack, workplace performance expert, executive coach and author of “Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More” (Wiley, 2012), would agree.
“We have become a nation of skimmers because of information overload, and in all that skimming, we’re missing essential details that could help us improve our productivity, build better relationships and live more gratifying lives,” he said.
Missed details, such as misreading a deadline for a project, can cause a work crisis. Noticing details, such as a shared interest with a colleague or acknowledging someone’s accomplishment, can lead to more positive and productive relationships. Details make a story or a sales presentation more interesting and memorable.
“Not paying attention to details can mean sacrificing quality for quantity,” Womack said.
The first step is to acknowledge that we live in a world of too much. “There are too many books, blogs, videos, newsletters, reports, etc. We aren’t wired to take everything in,” he said.
Reduce your information stream by unsubscribing to unnecessary e-newsletters, magazines and newspapers and reducing your participation in clubs or committees.
Stop multitasking. Research has shown it’s not more efficient, he said. Instead of waiting for the right time to work on an important project or plan a trip, “set a timer for 15 minutes and work exclusively on that one task,” he said. “Fifteen minutes is about the right chunk of time for us to be able to stay focused, minimize interruptions and work effectively,” he said.
By scheduling 15-minute intervals throughout his day, he gets more done and has time for the things he’d like to do.
“Because we’re so overloaded, we often approach our days focused on getting as much done as possible,” he said, “but when that is our big goal, we end up ignoring important details, and the details are where big opportunities are found.”
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