Information overload (also known as infobesity or infoxication) is a term used to describe the difficulty of understanding an issue and effectively making decisions when one has too much information about that issue. – Wikipedia

I’m sure with the above definition, an excerpt of Wikipedia’s article on information overload, you have got an insight of what the term is all about. Now you know what you are experiencing or have experienced in the past.

First off, I’d like to welcome myself back from a self-imposed exile, and apologize for being away for so long. It’s been well over 1 month since I last posted on this blog.

While I was away, I wrote exams, procrastinated about my project and got exposed to different make money opportunities. I sank deep within and wondered how much I had suffered from the so-called information overload, not just in blogging, but also in my everyday life! I probably did not crash because I’m human, which makes me strong enough to hold on to so much at a time, yet survive!

Information Overload and Writers Block: Two Sides Of a Coin

Most times bloggers experience writers block. When it is writers block, they go blank about what to write or blog about – they go as far as asking colleges and professionals for blog post ideas.

Information overload, on the other hand, is the total opposite of writers block. This time, you have so much, so much information that you don’t know how to start offering what you have in your head.

As a blogger, when you read and consume more but offer or write less of what you’ve learnt, you might simply get overloaded with the information to express yourself. You will totally get denied by your brain to pick a starting point or focus on one thing.

How Much Has Information Overload Affected Me?

I’d say greatly!
Having so much in mind at a particular time definitely hurts my thinking and actions. Most times, I know what to do, but I find myself in a confused state of mind because often times there are too many strategies, bumping in my head that I do not know which to choose or pick?

I’ve been stressed out over doing nothing but thinking and worrying about what step to take, even though I have the idea of how taking a particular step works out. I’ve been busy, so busy that I did nothing.

Ever wondered why you get tired of doing nothing most times?

Like me, You’ve probably been so busy trying to pick the best out of a group of overloaded information in your head.

Some days go by without me adding a little value to them. Many a time, I’d wonder why the day ran out without any action from me. I’d keep going in circles, knowing what to do, yet doing nothing due to confusion.

Now, that’s how much information overload has got the better part of me. Your turn…

How Much Information Overload Has Affected Us

This isn’t just about me, it’s about you too. You are human, and I presume that in one way or the other, there are times you’ve had so much in stock, yet did nothing in the long run. Do you have issues with processing and giving out information? Oh well, I’ve got a bit of that too. Now it’s about us… Those dealing with information overload.

How Did We End Up Getting Overloaded With Information?

Now, this is something I’ve never thought of until recently. I easily get distracted or sidetracked while surfing the web for information and you do this too. My friends call me “The Tab Lord”, I’m not proud of this, but I understand it all now. I rarely finish my search for specific information before jumping onto the next one I find attractive.

Have you ever set out on a search for a topic and ended up on a blog focused on an entirely different thing?

Did you find yourself on Facebook when you initially set out to find something important online?

How many drafts do I currently have?

I’d say I have drafts that should have evolved from being drafts to old published posts. The problem is focusing on one and moving on to the other. I’d leave a topic I’m researching and delve into another only because I bumped into it in the process of learning about the latter. So rather than paying attention to the current project, I’ll do research for another post, get interested in it, then focus on it before going back to the other. Gathering too much, right?

Aren’t You Tired Of Getting Overloaded With Information?

We will definitely all get tired of this dirty habit, and now it’s all about getting rid of the frequent mistakes that cause information overload.

Contrary to what I want you to read, I haven’t done any research on how to cut distractions and you too might have not done anything either, but now that you know what it means to get overloaded with information, I’m sure you’d want to work, step up and free up your brain.

The Agents

Distractions are major agents of information overload. In fact, I’ve gone as far as blocking notifications from appearing on the notification bar of my phone. I turn on notifications for important situations and non distracting applications only. I can log on to Facebook or WhatsApp at ease to get the news or whatever has been sent at any time.

I’m sure I wouldn’t want to fall sick due to the stress of struggling with the overloaded information in my head! It’s fun when you open up while trying to get rid of a challenge, you might find someone like you!

Then again, do you experience information overload and how often do you?