Seth Godin posed this question in his blog today:
Redoubling to system failure
Every 18 months for the last decade, the world has doubled the data it pushes to you.
Twice as much email, twice as many friend requests, twice as many sites to check, twice as many devices.
When does your mind lose the ability to keep up? Then what happens? Is it already happening?
As his blog is not open to comment, I’ll respond here.
Thia actually happened to me about a year ago. There was so much information coming to me and at me that my mind just GAVE UP. Before this break, the mental chatter went something like this:
“Gotta know this.” “Must reply to her today.” “OMG! I have 25 emails since 9am this morning, and it’s only 9:10!”
I came to the following realizations:
- It’s impossible to keep everybody happy.
- I cannot keep up with ANYTHING
- I cannot control ANYTHING
- I cannot know ANYTHING for certain.
So, I’ve decided that my best approach to the issue of information overload is as follows:
- Be really clear what I want from life
- Attend to each moment with a sense of openness, and let the moment decide what I do next
- Trust in Life (God, the Universe, Allah, etc.) – what Life wants to happen through me is Life’s responsibility (not mine), and that whatever happens is part of the overall Plan.
What do I mean by “letting the moment decide what I do next”? It’s listening – giving my full attention – to what is present in the moment. The action (or non-action, as the case may be) then presents itself and happens naturally: not from fear or desire, but out of a “rightness” or “correctness” that this is what I am to do (or not do) Now.
By living life from this perspective, I do not worry. There is nothing to worry about, as ultimately I cannot Do anything to improve or screw up my situation. If I could Do something, I would be God. And I am not. I am only God living through this form called Carol.
I’ve been a whole bunch happier after this “mental breakdown”, and actually get more done with less stress than I did before (with NO guilt).
Free at last, free at last. Thank God, I’m free at last!
forty-two 