My Top 3 Rules For Conquering Information Overload
In my last post, I talked about the information overload myth.
In it, I described why information overload WAS a myth… and the real reason many people today feel obligated to continue studying… and studying… and studying… without taking any real action.
Today, I’m going to explain how I personally beat information overload with a technique so simple, anybody can use it starting today with absolutely no changes to their current lifestyle.
Here’s how it works.
Over the past few years, I’ve slowly developed a few rules for myself.
Rule #1 – Information overload must never interfere with actual work.
Rule #2 – Education must always be relevant to my goals.
Rule #3 – Always combine daily “boring” activities with education.
Pretty simple, right?
In order for you to get the most out of this… let me explain each of these three rules.
Rule #1: Information Overload Must Never Interfere With Actual Work
In other words, taking ACTION is more important than education (unless of course your sole job is to come up with new ideas and have other people implement those ideas.
If you have a choice between working on a client project or reading… the client project MUST come first. I’m not saying “don’t educate yourself”. I’m saying – put money FIRST, and education SECOND.
Rule #2: Education Must Always Be Relevant To My Goals
Again, pretty common sense stuff. But most people never even think of it!
Here’s what I mean.
I’m a copywriter, split-testing expert and marketing consultant. So if I spend $1,000 on a course showing me how to take advantage of social media… that’s completely irrelevant to me. If I wanted to use it to generate more clients – sure. However, that’s not a strategy in my marketing plan so any time I spend reading about social media is a complete waste of time.
Going even further on this – I typically try to educate myself on topics that will be relevant either immediately, or in the near future. For example… I’m in the process of creating a webinar. Therefore, I’m educating myself on how to create the best webinar. I already have a very good understanding (after all, I’m a copywriter) but I’m becoming a master at it.
Rule #3: Always Combine Daily “Boring” Activities With Education.
Very few people take advantage of slow times during their day. Instead, they’d rather educate themselves during their most productive hours!
Instead, here’s what I do.
I read, watch videos and listen to audios during my down times.
For example, I always read at night… after I’m done working and usually after dinner. If my wife Katie is watching a show after dinner – I read. On Saturday mornings after I go fishing – I read. On Sundays when my wife and I have dinner at her parents house – I read (we go about an hour before dinner and stay about an hour after).
Doing this let’s me read roughly 1 book per week.
And when it comes to watching videos and listening to audios, that’s an even more exciting story!
The first step is to get an IPod (or something similar).
Then, listen to the video/audio while doing boring activities. Here are my top 7 ways I listen to educational material without interrupting my work…
- While driving
- Fishing
- Chores
- Exercising (when I run bleachers or ride my bike)
- During lunch (sometimes… usually I like to relax)
- Feeding Connor – our baby
- While doing “busy” work such as adding graphics to a salesletter
There are 7 great ways to get more education without spending any extra effort… and best of all… without falling into the information overload trap!
Why Conquering Information Overload Is So Critical
The bottom line is this. The more work you can produce, the more money you’re going to make. The more focused you are (e.g. not falling for the shiny object syndrome)… the more money you’re going to make.
By putting action FIRST, and information SECOND… you automatically make more money. Trust me, I’ve experienced this personally. You’ll be more focused, less stressed, and much more wealthy.
But to start this process of conquering information overload – YOU need to come up with your own strategy on which area to start on first.
So tell me… which of these 3 rules for conquering information overload are you going to start implementing TODAY?
