We are saturated with emails, blogs and RSS feeds offering us tips on managing our time, advice for improving our social media efforts, tidbits and tips on every aspect of our business. There are webinars on managing a team, how to work effectively from home … the list goes on!
What can we do with all of this information?
In most cases, IGNORE it! At some point you have to consider the value of everything that is coming at you. Is it worth your valuable time to attend the webinar, read the newsletter, take the survey? Is most of what you subscribe to in some way duplicated in the next email or newsletter?
You may want to start a folder where you keep those that fit the “value scale” you set. Choose your email subscriptions and RSS feeds wisely. You may also want to unsubscribe from as many as possible!
Remember that not everything you subscribe to has to be business related. You are more than your business. Take the time to focus on your outside interests as well. A well rounded person makes for a more interesting entrepreneur who is capable of working with all types of people.
The key question to ask yourself is – will this time spent on reading or educating myself further on a particular topic increase my output? For many entrepreneurs we are inundated with “stuff” – what we need to do is sort through it as if it were a pile of papers on our desk and manage accordingly! The sheer volume of what can be coming at us daily, if we let it, is overwhelming – but not if we take the time to ensure it comes at us as according to our wants and needs!
The major downfall of all of this information is stress.
Forcing the mind to receive and consider too much information at too high a speed actually overwhelms the sensory system and leads to overload. Keeping yourself focused on one thing at a time leads to better concentration and higher retention of what you are reading.
Even better is to totally disconnect from your computer. Take time out to do things the old fashioned way…read a book, play a board game, do crossword puzzle; all things that will engage your senses in a different way than using technology. In this way, you are focusing on output, your output.
Learn to remain in the “now”.
Time spent online receiving endless input from a variety of sources – some of which consist of information which may not be factual, is fatiguing both physically and emotionally. A good balance of receiving ideas/information/data corresponding with actually doing something physically or mentally keeps your stress levels down and leads to better health.
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image by Cali4beach
