From WTMI 🤯 to MI 🤓 (Manageable Information)
A deep dive into information overload and our choice to sink or swim.
Hello friend,
Remember the days when we had the option of watching a television show (we had a choice of about four channels) OR reading something printed on paper? The simplicity of our former lives seems foreign compared to today’s barrage of information.
WTMI (Way Too Much Information) usually refers to sharing gross or socially inappropriate information in public. But what about the epidemic of Way Too Much (Acceptable and Appropriate) Information? I often get the sense we’re drowning in information overload.
We all jumped on the email bandwagon about 25 years ago (I would have been in my mid-30s). I opened my Facebook account in 2007, when it was nothing like the advertising, algorithmic beast it is today. Instagram and others followed.
That’s just the tip of today’s information iceberg.
When our friends recommend good books, we add them to our TBR (To Be Read) lists. Our library apps1 give us free and readily available access to ebooks and audiobooks. Sadly, my TBR list grows faster than my “books read” list.
Then, there are our shows. Netflix, Hulu, Prime, etc.—all offer great movies and TV series. Do you have a TBW (To Be Watched) list? Mine is in my head, which isn’t the best place, LOL! (Now, what was that show I wanted to watch?).
And can we talk about podcasts? Oh. my. goodness. There are so many gems out there! Of course, the podcasters and their interviewees inspire another book, show, or podcast to be added to our TBR, TBW, and TLT (To Listen To) lists!
Substack…a party for writers and readers. 🎊
The latest addition to my WTMI problem is Substack. I love it, I really do. It’s a party of smart and kind writers and readers. You visit with one writer for a while, and they introduce you to someone else, and after spending some time with them, another person walks up and joins the conversation and, well, you get the picture.
My Substack party began about a year ago. I was shy when I first walked in the door. But writers like
said a friendly “hello,” and Sarah Fay from saw me (and several others) standing alone in the corners, and introduced us to each other. My Substack circle of friends (, , , , to name a few) just keeps growing and the party never ends!The problem is…
There aren’t enough hours in the day to check email, scroll social media, read/write on Substack, listen to podcasts, watch Netflix, and read the books that we don’t want to miss! (Another epidemic related to WTMI is FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), which I’ve succumbed to on more than one occasion.)
Sink, swim, or be rescued. 🛟
We are immersed in information. The crashing waves of TME (Too Much Everything), engulf us, while the island of TIME is shrinking away on the horizon.
Before you mistakenly assume I’ve found a rescue boat, let me just say, I’m still swimming and going under at times. I’d love to hear what lifeboats you’ve found! Here are a few things I’ve tried to keep me from sinking.2 Maybe they’ll keep you afloat too.
Chunk it. 🧩
No, I didn’t say “chuck it!” 😜 When dealing with information, it’s easier if we chunk similar bits together. (You know how you put similar colored pieces together when doing a jigsaw puzzle to make it more manageable? Same idea.)
I’ve started grouping my podcasts not only by theme but also by days of the week. (E.g. Daily Favs, Writing Monday, Faith Tuesday, Good Life Wednesday, etc.). It has relieved some decision-making about which episode to play next and streamlined my listening.
I hope to set aside similar blocks of time for handling other bits of information.
Turn off dings. 🛎️ Turn on “Focus.” 🔎
When I’m typing away on a story or deep into a good book, and something goes “ding!” or appears in the top right corner of my screen, I’m like the dog who says “squirrel!” and I start chasing it. Turning off notifications and instead, inserting breaks every hour or two to check email and texts, maintains focus where it should be.
Most phones have a “Focus” feature you can turn on when working, reading, sleeping, driving, etc. Since I often struggle to fall asleep, I now use “Sleep Focus” every night. It prevents those annoying texts from buzzing and lighting up the room just as I’m drifting off. “Focus” is great for reading and writing as well.
Be choosy. 👍 👎
One way to avoid “overload” is to lighten the load when it doesn’t serve you. In deciding which podcasts, Substacks, and email lists we subscribe to, being choosy means screening first. Read or listen to a couple of posts/episodes before signing up.
Also, once we’ve subscribed, we’re not obligated to digest everything we receive. Taking 30 seconds to scan the headline or topic before wasting 50, 15, or even 5 minutes engrossed in a story we don’t care about (and therefore won’t remember) will keep us afloat in the flood of words coming our way. (Hint: It’s also fine to end an episode/story/book midstream if you’re just not into it.)
Unsubscribe. 🚫
For frequent sales ads and campaign emails, the decision to unsubscribe is easy. But doing so for writers or podcasters I’ve subscribed to is harder, perhaps, because I’ve been on the receiving end and know how painful it is to “lose” a reader. We writers are tender souls and when we see an “unsubscribe” message, we cry a little on the inside. (I assume if you’ve read this far, you won’t take that route today!)
I also acknowledge time is not infinite. If a writer and reader are no longer connecting because of time constraints, changing needs, or other factors, then it is time to say goodbye.
Add movement, mindfulness, and music. 💃🧘♂️🎵
The more we fill our time and space with information, the less we have available for movement, music, and mindfulness—three keys to relaxation. Though it’s hard to pick myself up from my comfy chair, a walk, bike ride, or even a little housecleaning can refresh my mind and body.
Music fills my soul in ways I can’t explain. These days, I remind myself to periodically opt for music over podcasts or audiobooks, to get my daily soul-boost.
Breathing and mindfulness exercises can lower blood pressure and improve physical and mental health in several ways.3 Allowing our brains time to un-focus and just “be” keeps us from sinking into overwhelm.
Finish one thing at a time. 🏁
Sometimes multi-tasking works. Can we empty the dishwasher or vacuum while listening to a podcast? You bet! Can we knit while watching a show or drive while listening to an audiobook? Definitely.
But, I cannot read email while talking to my mother-in-law on the phone. (I’ve tried. And missed the conversation.) I cannot play Connections or Wordle while watching the Today Show (I mean, I can, but I miss something every time). When switching from writing a story to checking emails or texts, my thoughts get lost.
Our minds like to focus on—and finish—one thing at a time.
While writing this post, I wanted to stop and read my book. But, I reminded myself: Focus on and finish this first. So now…
…back to my book! Or should I listen to that podcast? But wait, I wanted to read a few Substack posts. Oh phooey! I’ll just turn on Netflix.
Uhhggg…you see? I’m not there yet. But I’m trying!
How do you deal with information overload? Please share your suggestions!
My favorite library apps are Libby and Hoopla.
Several of these suggestions were gathered and paraphrased from this Forbes article.
To learn more about mindfulness, I highly recommend: The Mindful Christian: Cultivating a Life of Intentionality, Openness, and Faith.
Thanks for the mention Linda. I agree with you about all of this. I've tried to pull back on podcasts recently and also watching things (apart from the time that I'm watching something with my family) and get myself back into fiction. I say fiction specifically because I was stacking up too many nonfiction selections for my morning reading and kept hearing an invitation to quiet things down.
I have also been unsubscribing lately on Substack. It's not personal and I try to remember that when someone unsubscribes to me. Some days are easier than others. I also try to remember that not everything someone posts has to resonate with me and vice versa, so its okay to let some slide by.
I only joined substack a few weeks ago, subscribing to as many interesting people as I could. But then I connected with more and more people, and the emails started coming in thick and fast. I felt overwhelmed with it all. So I turned off the emails, preferring the in app notifications instead.
I need to condense my list of people to follow, unsubscribing to a few if needed.
I have learned to accept unsubscribes, they are not my audience of people wanting my kind of recipes, or the little stories I have begun to tell.
I don’t really have an answer as to how to tackle the overwhelm of new people we meet on substack, I imagine, for me it will settle down to a few core groups of people I find really interesting, people I can learn from, and whom I can help too, people who’s emails make me want to read every word until the end.
Until then, I will keep creating my little substack world of recipes and tales, seeing my waistband expanding as I wait for my garden to dry out from this dreary winter we’ve had here in the UK.