Information Overload E-Book

Guus Pijpers

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 323

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

World-class guidance on using information to achieve betterperformance Examining the characteristics of information and the latestfindings in cognitive science, this book shows how the mind works,how it can be used to think optimally about your business, and howto improve business performance with better information managementpractices. * Provides the process and tools necessary to identify thisinformation and how to remember it, and how to better use thepeople around you to obtain the best information * Reveals how to handle all of the hundreds of pieces ofinformation received daily * Provides case studies as well as checklists that show managershow to implement the methodology presented in the book Innovative and ahead of its time, this book helps you takecontrol of all the information that enters your life, get betterinformed, and have more time for the important issues you facewithin your business.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

PREFACE

ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK

Acknowledgments

PART I - THE PRINCIPLES

CHAPTER 1 - INFORMATION ON INFORMATION

HISTORY OF INFORMATION

MEANING OF INFORMATION

CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATION

ATTRIBUTES OF INFORMATION

A DEFINITION OF INFORMATION

VALUE OF INFORMATION

NOTES

CHAPTER 2 - A LOT OF INFORMATION

CONCEPT OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD

DEFINITIONS OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD

COLLECTING MANIA

COLLECTING STRATEGIES

BARRIERS TO INFORMATION USE

SYMPTOMS OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD

CAUSES OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD

INFORMATION OVERLOAD TODAY

NOTES

CHAPTER 3 - BRAIN MATTERS

HISTORY OF OUR BRAIN

BRAIN FACTS

BRAIN METAPHORS

TYPES OF MEMORY

REMEMBERING AND RECALLING

LEFT BRAIN VERSUS RIGHT BRAIN

DREAMING

MIRRORING

CHAPTER 4 - WE PEOPLE

SOME OBSERVATIONS

INFORMATION BEHAVIOR

INFORMATION BEHAVIOR THEORIES

CONCLUSION

NOTES

PART II - IN PRACTICE

CHAPTER 5 - INFORMATION PROFILE

A PERSON’S BACKGROUND

INFORMATION APTITUDE

INFORMATION ATTITUDE

INFORMATION HANDLING

CONCLUSION

NOTES

CHAPTER 6 - MIND YOUR BRAIN

SENSITIVE INFORMATION

MIXED FEELINGS

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

BRAIN MUSCLES

CHAPTER 7 - BRAIN AT WORK

PAY ATTENTION

REMEMBER TO REMEMBER

REMEMBER TO FORGET

STOP!

NOTES

CHAPTER 8 - THE INFORMATION BRAIN

SEARCH AND FIND

SAVE EVERYTHING

ORDER, PLEASE

FILTER

INFORMATION PRUNING

NOTES

CHAPTER 9 - INFORMATION AT WORK

LEARN SMARTER

INFORMATION PRODUCTIVITY

SMART INFORMATION WORKERS

TECHNOLOGY SMART

NOTES

CHAPTER 10 - CLEVER COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATE INFORMATION

STORYTELLING

PICTURE PERFECT

NAVIGATING THE INFORMATION SEA

NOTES

CHAPTER 11 - PEOPLE AT WORK

SMART PEOPLE

MANAGING INFORMATION WORKERS

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

SEASONED CITIZENS

NOTES

REFERENCES

INDEX

Copyright © 2010 by Guus Pijpers. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Pijpers, Guus, 1960-

Information overload : a system for better managing everyday data/

Guus Pijpers.

p. cm.—(Microsoft executive leadership series)

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-470-62574-3 (cloth)

1. Knowledge management. 2. Information behavior. I. Title.

HD30.2.P558 2010

153.1’2—dc22

2010004692

To my wife Wilhelmine, who also lives and breathes information

PREFACE

This age is heralded as the information age. We live in a world more filled with information than any of our predecessors. We have to deal with huge amounts of information every day, information that affects our daily life and activities. Most people want to be “in the know.” From early in the morning, when we watch the news or read the paper, until late in the evening when we talk to friends and relatives, we are exchanging information, including all that comes from our emotions. Indeed, we live and breathe information, as our five senses are continuously bombarded with stimuli to interpret. It is surprising that we human beings can still survive in today’s world, where so much more attention is needed than a century ago but as a species, we continually get used to the increased amount of information and learn to live with it.

As a society, we have arrived at a point where almost all information is available to almost everyone. Information is no longer scarce; instead, it’s overwhelming. And in the next five years, the amount of information available is expected to increase tenfold, mostly thanks to the Internet. However, the Internet only shows information available to the general public; it doesn’t include all the information stored within organizations or in private homes that is not yet accessible to the public, not to mention the information that people have stored in their own digital memory, their brain.

The sheer amount of it makes some people nervous and tense. They experience a strong loss of concentration, a high level of stress, and feelings of guilt because they still have so much to read and digest. People start to miss important information; they select from the huge quantity available and unintentionally pick out the wrong parts. As a result, they feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with the information flow.

The feeling of being overwhelmed by an enormous amount of information is by no means a new one. In fact, too much information is a fundamental problem of the human condition. People had the same problem in the old days, as humans invented newspapers, radio, and television—among other things—to increase the flow of information. Processing that information, though, is not a technological issue but a human problem. The vastly increased information flow over the last 20 years does not present any problems to technology, but our brains have not quite found the right answer to it.

We do not know exactly how people inform themselves, how they remain well-informed over a period, and how they make sense of all the information they receive. Our memory occasionally fails us—justly so, as we discuss later in this book. Our brain has its own laws. It is mainly aimed at survival, avoiding danger and acting instinctively. From an evolutionary point of view, it’s obvious: Humans are unable to adjust to the growing amount of information within a single generation. One generation is nothing compared to the age of the Earth and the development of mankind.

But it is not what information does to people that counts, but what people do with information. New stimuli, emotional situations, and deviating behavior are really good for our brain. Therefore, we should cherish these stimuli and search out unusual or different situations.

However, very few people have been highly trained in how to make effective use of information. A better understanding of the characteristics of the brain is useful in determining how to handle large amounts of information.

How often do you hear people say: “Oh, if I had only known that . . .” But obviously, we did not know, and nobody told us. Probably we do not know the right people, or we don’t know how to get to the information that will make our lives much easier. And we do not necessarily search out the correct information, or look in new places for it. Numerous excuses can be given as to why people do not want to change their information behavior. Fear, anxiety, or just being an information control freak: More information is hardly ever seen as a solution.

But our information behavior plays an important part in the management of information. A computer is capable of collecting large amounts of information; only we human beings are capable of, hopefully, turning that into wisdom.

So today, you may complain about the increase in information, but complaining does not help. What does? The solution lies in seeking and finding that particular information that is important to you.

In this book you will find all kinds of tips and tricks on how to lead a more pleasant life in the information society. How can you make sure you receive the information you need? How can you organize information so that it is always accessible to you? How can you avoid the feeling of being inundated with information and having no grip on your life?

To better manage information, you will need to change certain habits and learn new ones. This is only possible if you are convinced that change is needed. We often lack the will to make changes, claiming that we have no time or are simply too lazy. Do you really wish to organize yourself better and handle information in a smarter way? Then a change between your ears is required.

Better knowledge of your brain, your information-processing factory, is a prerequisite for changing your information behavior and for driving changes in other people’s information behavior. One of the most effective ways is knowing how you deal with information, as described in your information profile. Only the right knowledge, attitude, and behavior will help you truly improve your information - processing capacity. You will benefit from this for the rest of your life.

ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK

The book is divided into two parts, which deal respectively with the principles of information, people, and the brain and with measures for using information better.

Part I: The Principles

The first part of this book discusses the peculiarities of information, people, and memory. Once we know more about the brain and acquire insight into our information behavior, we will suffer less from information stress, we will be better able to organize our time, and, will have the feeling that we are more in control.

In Chapter 1, I will present the characteristics and attributes of information. These insights will demonstrate why information deserves separate attention in our daily work and life. People have a voracious appetite for information, but only a few know why.

The reasons that people collect information, and the most salient barriers to information use are highlighted in Chapter 2. I also look at the symptoms and causes of information overload.

In Chapter 3, I discuss the main characteristics of memory. Better managing everyday data means being better able to remember and retrieve information. Knowledge of how memory works will help you achieve this.

Chapter 4 is about humans and our peculiarities regarding deployment and use of information.

Part II: In Practice

In the second part of the book, I describe specific measures that you can apply, together with the knowledge acquired from information, your memory, and human information behavior. It should be noted that the measures to fight information overload, be better informed, or help you become information literate do not act as a single tool. Each measure described in this part’s chapters influences and interacts with a number of others. They are by no means exhaustive or all-encompassing. These measures are selected based on their ease of use, applicability in a business environment as well as personal life and their practical use to an individual.

Chapter 5 describes an information profile that serves as an aid to understand a person’s information habits. It describes a person’s aptitude, attitude, and the way he or she handles information.

Chapter 6 addresses how our senses and feelings deal with information and why movement and play are part of healthy information behavior.

Another perspective on your brain is offered in Chapter 7, where attention, remembering, and forgetting information are examined.

In Chapter 8, I describe how to select the subjects that you really wish to know about and to be an expert in. This chapter also teaches you what information to allow into your brain.

In Chapter 9, smart information workers take central stage, learning how to be more productive and apply technology in the right manner.

Chapter 10 provides all kinds of improvements for communicating information more effectively to others.

Chapter 11 has a threefold purpose. First, how do you select the right people for your information questions? Second, how do you manage information workers in this day and age? Third, how can you continue to handle information in a smart way, even long after your retirement?

Note to Readers

You can read the book from start to finish, but you don’t have to. Start a new way of reading. I advise you to have a really good look at the table of contents of this book. This will help you to create classifications in your mind and will make it easier to retrieve information.

Part I is mainly concerned with theory; Part II is about practice. Start by carefully browsing through this second part. Read a few paragraphs and then decide where you would like to start. Read in this book how people handle information. Discover your own information behavior. Change if you really want to change. Should you need more tips and hints in certain areas, then consult the list of references. However, the best sources of information are the people around you. Ask them questions and keep asking.

Guus Pijpers Riethoven, the Netherlands August 2010

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Every day, we exchange an awful lot of information. From the smile of a newborn baby to the good night said by your partner at the end of the day, information is everywhere. You need to consciously remember everything, should you ever wish to find it again. Indeed, the main purpose of our memory is to predict the future.

How people really use information has fascinated me for many years; in fact, I made it my career. Practice teaches me that we are far from effective in the ways we handle information. We teach our children all kinds of technical skills. But to be truly productive with information, our kids need different skills, capabilities, and competencies—and so do all those information workers who left school long ago.

I have also learned that the human brain is very flexible. Ages before I read the word for the first time, I knew what neuroplasticity meant, because I personally experienced it. I hope that you agree with me when I say that we have by no means discovered and utilized the full power of the human brain. Thanks to our innate curiosity, we like to know more. After all, only we human beings are able to ask ourselves clever questions as well as answer them. All these new insights into the functioning of our brain mean there are just more questions to ask. The answers will certainly lead to surprising insights. I am convinced of that.

Writing this book and searching for associated literature regularly led to an “Oh, is that how it is!” experience. It is also highly unlikely that this book would have been completed without the expert views of all my clients, colleagues, and friends over the years. I have been allowed to temporarily borrow their brains on a regular basis. My alma maters, Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana; the TiasNimbas Business School in Tilburg, the Netherlands; and the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands have all provided essential support in collecting the required documentation.

My thanks also go to Alice Saunders for her superb linguistic services. Our working relationship exemplifies the new information age: We have never met; I approached her via a qualified business contact. Her living in France doesn’t hamper our doing business together, the agreement was based on a trusted relationship without any signature or legal documents, and I was able to evaluate the quality of her work soon after we started.

A word of thanks also to the editorial team at John Wiley & Sons for believing in this book.

PART I

THE PRINCIPLES

CHAPTER 1

INFORMATION ON INFORMATION

Information is ever present in our daily lives. Many of us are barraged with it. Yet it is very hard to respond to the question “What is information?” We all have a vague idea of what information constitutes.

Many words express the idea of information: Consider data, knowledge, being, writing, sign, and symbol, to name just a few. But objects such as a name, a song, a picture, or an idea also contain a shared quality called information. Some information is considered more valuable than other information, typically because a person puts a higher value on it. Old information can become valuable in a new context or when used by contemporary technologies for making novel combinations. The iPod is just one example of such a technological transformation of information.