There was a time when information was hard to come by. You were lucky to grow up in a family that owned a set of encyclopedias. Articles were viewed on microfiche. Books were purchased at brick-and-mortar stores. You might even speak to an elder in your community for wise words.
Today, the democratization and availability of information have exploded. The creation of information, sometimes labeled content (like this blog post), has proliferated. The accessibility and volume of information have turned from solution to problem. This problem comes in the form of feeling that we can never keep up, we don’t know everything we should know about a particular subject, or we don’t have enough time to consume the information we wish. So, we experience a sense that we have less information than we should. It’s a feeling of loss despite not only having more information available but also having innumerable information formats. For some, it’s heightened a sense of responsibility to be in the know and considered knowledgeable.
Sometimes, information comes to us with little invitation. Other times, we seek out information. Sometimes, it's when the need to retrieve a relevant fact for a discussion arises, we are interested in a particular subject, or we generally want to seek out the news.
From the vantage point of organizing, information is scattered in various ways: books, magazines and newspapers, education materials (from formal or informal classes), email subscriptions, full file cabinets, mail sorters, paper trays, and digital files. Whether through the vantage point of email or paperwork in an office, the topic of information management then emerges. The (non-comprehensive) list above is through the lens of the type of material rather than the content of the material. For example, email consists primarily of personal communication, coupons, or information. It’s not a singular item. Different types of emails need to be handled differently. Information-based emails (i.e., newsletter subscriptions) should be part of an information management plan.
The need to create an information management plan indicates that we don’t often group items or processes in our homes using the most efficient categories. We must take a step back to consider the organization of different areas of our lives, even though they appear in different physical and digital forms. For example, to do/calendar management and cooking/food planning. These involve different resources, often scattered in different areas of the home. However, adopting an overarching plan for each category allows for more harmonious and apt tools to support the plan.
When it comes to information, consider:
What information do I need to keep (i.e., tax returns)?
What information do I currently use that I want to keep?
What information do I ignore that I either need in a different format or should let go?
What information would I like to incorporate into my life? In what format and frequency?
After conducting an information criteria analysis, you can delete, donate, recycle, or unsubscribe from all information that doesn’t meet this criteria. Then, seek out the additional information you’d like to add (in this order, to prevent adding before deleting or altering).
We must become our own information managers to create simpler lives with less information overload. Information is in abundance. So, instead of letting yourself feel overwhelmed, take a proactive approach. Find peace in knowing that the information is out there, and you’ll never know or be able to maintain a small fraction of it. That’s the minimalist way.