The amount of information and communication channels available to us is increasing exponentially. We’re all getting buried alive with email, network news, cable news, internet news, radio, television (cable/satellite), blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google, PDA’s, texting, office memos, etc., etc.
When will it all end? It won’t until either we’re dead or the world ends as we know it.
So you have to be absolutely ruthless in handling the information you allow into your life if you want to make progress in the direction of your goals.
In my Double Your Productivity using Microsoft Outlook 2007 program, I teach several “Black Belt” techniques on how to have an empty email box at the end of each day and how to filter out, delete, or file the bulk of your email — automatically — among many other powerful techniques for taming the email (crouching) tiger.
But what about all of the other channels that bombard us with avalanches of information? Let’s take them one at a time.
Social Media/Social Networking
If you get genuine joy from ‘doing’ social media (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.), then do it!
But if, at the same time, you find that you aren’t progressing towards the realization of your most cherished goals, then you may want to consider eliminating social media all together or at least cutting way back so you can free up some time to focus on achieving your worthwhile goals.
If you’re one of those who thinks anyone cares about what you ate for breakfast, please get help NOW (celebrities and super-star athletes not withstanding).
I can understand if you want to know what Lance Armstrong or some other super-star athlete ate for breakfast, especially if you aspire to be a world-class athlete like them. This would be considered research for modeling success.
The reason you’re reading this, presumably, is because you want to learn how to be more productive, successful, and happy.
Again, if you enjoy it, do it. Just be conscious of what you’re doing. Purposeless or excessive social networking eats up your life. Be careful not to fall into the black hole of social networking.
If it’s bringing you closer to your goals or helping you live your life’s purpose, by all means, do it!
If you don’t have well defined goals or you haven’t defined your life’s purpose, I say, “NO SOCIAL NETWORKING” until you do! Period. (To be continued in future posts.)