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Technology -- What You Need to Know
8 Tips to Fight Info Overload1. Spot the signs. Feel alone even as you communicate with people all day? That's a signal technology is dominating your life.
2. Take baby steps. Try being inaccessible for short spurts to see what happens. The world probably won't implode.
3. Repeat these four words: "I have a choice." People who say, "My boss wants me to be reachable after 8 p.m." are likely exaggerating the control others have over them.
4. Set limits. Rein in office e-mail and instant message traffic. Who truly needs 35 daily FYIs on the Henderson case?
5. Give clear instructions. Try an e-mail signature that reads "I answer e-mail at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. If you need a quicker response, please call."
6. Make a task list. If you're interrupted, you'll get back to work faster if you have one.
7. Stick to a schedule. Handle recreational Web surfing and e-mail at set times. Dipping in and out is classic self-interruption.
8. Do a reality check. After five minutes of unplanned surfing, ask yourself, "Should I really be doing this now?"
The Multitasker Myth
It's one of the digital revolution's most annoying buzzwords: multitasking. It means doing more than one thing at the same time. Almost invariably, it means doing at least one of them poorly.
"Human beings can handle two simple, low-level cognitive tasks at once, like filing and listening to the radio," says Dr. Hallowell. But a higher-level cognitive task (reading a report) takes dedicated brainpower to perform optimally. Adding even a simplistic activity (scanning the TV) diminishes the comprehension and recall of both. Research shows that multitasking is just a series of constant microinterruptions and stop-starts, all of which tend to reduce mental and motor performance.
"I had one patient who was a lawyer, and he negotiated an unbelievable deal that favored his client in a lopsided way," Dr. Hallowell says. "I asked him how he did it, and he said, ‘I was the only one in the meeting who wasn't using my BlackBerry.' "
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