Many people I talk to feel overwhelmed with email, news, blogs, work, and social media. In this post, I’ll share some valuable strategies and tactics you can use to help you deal with information overload and achieve a balance in digestible knowledge.

Who has time these days? As vast amounts of information have become available in the last decade, seriously, who has time?

It’s those people who know how to keep a low information diet. Just like the “real life” balance we need in order to live happy, health lives. In nutrition we need some fats, some carbohydrates, some proteins, but it depends on our unique body types and physical routines to determine where that balance is.

Nutritionists and health experts will tell you, you need to have the right tools to accomplish a balance in diet. You gotta have access to healthy food, you gotta know what’s in your food, gotta have a place where you exercise (yes, the city is a jungle gym), and a piece of mind to manage it all. The same is true for those suffering from information overload.

Those who overcome, who prioritize and strive to improve their mindspace will greatly be rewarded in their professional lives and personal lives.

Where to start?

Resources in dealing with info overload are not a problem either. The Internet is aplenty with professionals, tips, guides and strategies. What it takes is a commitment, knowing where to start, practice, and perhaps most importantly knowing how to get back on the wagon, when you fall off, and you will fall off.

Most people feel overloaded with:

• Email
• News & Blogs
• Workspace & work tasks
• Social media

My low information diet started with my email. I had six email accounts and five places I would go to check them all. I ended up ignoring half of them and defaulting to checking one daily and one every couple of days. I started with email because for me it is the end all of communication and probably will be for a long time. I wanted to have a good exhaust system so I could beef up my engine.

I found and watched Merlin Mann’s talk about Inbox Zero. Recorded at Google’s HQ, Inbox Zero is a very real and applicable way to organizing your email flow by using David Allen’s system of Getting Things Done, or GTD. The video is 50 minutes long but well worth it (see video below). I also have the pleasure of working with an amazing web strategist Joey Shepp, who taught me how to forward email accounts into one place, add accounts to my master (so I can ‘send as’), and to filter so they basically manage themselves.

Starting with email worked for me, but it may not be the place for you to start. It’s up to you to decide. Ask yourself, “Where is your bottle neck? Where do you feeling behind?” I would guess that most people would answer “my email.”

Since each of these topics is a longer conversation, use this as a guide to get started.

Email - It’s time to organize your email so that you can easily prioritize and filter to appropriate places. This will vary in setup time depending on the number of unread messages you have. Since there are a number of email systems out there, take it upon yourself to find “tips for managing ______ (outlook, exchange, hotmail, Yahoo mail, etc.). I happen to be a tremendous fan of Google and Gmail.

Merlin Mann- Inbox Zero

Gmail Ninja Tips- Web Version | download pdf (from Google) (Great for office and desk!)

News & Blogs – You perhaps have a handful of website you like to check often, but you feel overloaded with having to check all these websites, and you find yourself missing out on the latest. If this is the case, it’s time for a RSS Feed Reader. If you are unfamiliar with RSS, it stands for Real Simple Syndication. a “Reader” allows you to syndicate your favorite websites into one place where you can read, organize, and prioritize all your favorite news and blogs.

I recommend Google Reader, but there are lots of options out there for readers:

• Take a tour of Google Reader
• Top 10 Windows RSS Feed Readers

Workspace & Work Tasks – If information overload is hitting you at work, perhaps you should read Getting Things Done by David Allen. This book will help you see your information flow in a new light. You’ll learn how to design a system that works for your unique situation. The basic premise is that every paper, email, and note has a destination and it’s not in a big pile in the middle of your desk

Social Media – One of the most common complaints I hear about social media is “too much to learn,” “too much information.” This is true. A lot of information is being pumped out on  Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. Spending a little time up-front to learn basic tools to help guide you is well worth a few hours a week. By this I mean, learn how to find the answers you need, hone your searching skills, filtering skills, and learn how to prioritize online. Here are a few tips.

Facebook- You can place your friends on Facebook into “lists” which will allow you to filter and prioritize which groups of friends you want to check in with, instead of having to sort through your big “news feed” list. I’ve created lists for family, friends, and colleagues. Tutorial

Twitter- Learn the basics, get over that first barrier (Twitter 101).  Once you get started, invest a little time, relax. Twitter is river, it’s not like email where the expectation is that your message will be read. Instead there is no expectation of when anyone will read your tweet or where they will read it from. Now, a smart phone makes this A LOT easier.

If you are pretty well integrated with Twitter, there is a new solution coming and it’s called “Twitter  Lists” (in beta now). Twitter Lists will allow you to sort your followers and prioritize them into groups, as well as make them public or private. It’s Very Cool, and its Coming Soon!

So I hope this helps you find balance on your journey. The main points you should take away if you are experiencing information overload are to continually learn to prioritize what you are digesting, learn how to setup automatic filters to sort your information for you, and invest a little time upfront to learning these points now to save you big in the future. If you fall off the wagon pick yourself up and get back on.

Here are a few more resources to check out and feel free to leave some in the comments and I’ll add to this list.

• Tim Ferris (Blog from author of the 4 Hour Workweek)
• Lifehacker (Blog, tips and downloads for getting things done)