I am a smarty-pants.
Self-proclaimed, anyway…
Oh, alright. I’m just a geeky sort of oddball.
My morning ritual involves surfing through numerous on-line newspapers, updating financial, political, and technological happenings. I fear I have a very unbalanced and possibly dangerous addiction to information. My Google Reader is never ever current, but is filled with dozens of postings that I need to read. And read them I do. I slowly grind through them as the day wears on, my need to be informed never being sated, and my ability to catch up never being achieved. Did you know there is enough new information being generated on the internet every day to fill an entire lifetime? I did, only because I’ve tried to read it all. I have no hope of ever catching up..
Sarah Perez, over at ReadWriteWeb, calls it “drowning in awesomeness”. She says,
Sometimes it’s just hard to keep up. In this technology-focused niche we all live in there are new applications, new initiatives, and new platforms that spring up every day, not to mention constantly breaking news that fills our RSS readers. Take a day off and you’re behind. Take an hour off and you just missed 300 more blog posts. In addition to the everyday struggles of information overload the average computer user deals with - like the overflowing inbox, for example - those in the internet/new media/technology space aren’t just overwhelmed with new content, but also with new applications and choices to manage that content. What’s a web-app loving person to do?
So, as I try to improve my life by being a capable, informed woman, I watch my stress level increase, my productivity decrease, my distracted state skyrocket as I try to “stay on top of it all”. This can’t be good for my spirit. This can’t be good for my family.
And yet, being an uninformed woman doesn’t exactly appeal either. Aren’t we supposed to “increase in learning?” An entire issue of the New Era was dedicated to education back in 1992. The old R.S. Manual says that “Learning is necessary for progression.”
And I can hardly even consider the prospect I face a daily challenge to teach my children to be capable, intelligent, informed adults. How on earth do we teach them to filter through the millions of pieces of information being created every day? Considering I don’t even know where to start, how do we teach our kids to sort through it all? How do you sort through it all?
Of course, “informed” and “drowned in trivia” are not that far away from each other. I have tried to solve the deluge by using selected RSS feeds from several sites. It’s necessary to evaluate what info you trust. And I usually give most stories a once-over, if I don’t see any implications for me and mine. (Actually it hurts me to the core not to be able to read everything!)
Since practically all non-local news is circulated by the main press agencies, it doesn’t take that much to figure out who leaves out what in their reprints and read those who tell most of the story.
One step would be, of course, to do without blogs, but where would that leave you?
I would think that reading that much news everyday would give you lots of repetitiveness (for lack of a better word) in what you are reading. I read our local newspaper and the wall street journal, and occasionally a news story or two online.
I used to spend way too much time on line, and occasionally still do… The true word for this is addiction, and although it may not be as serious as some other type of addictions, it sounds as though you recognize it is unhealthy for you (stress level increase, productivity decrease).
I had to set some parameters of when I could and couldn’t be online, and also unsubscribed from most of my google reader blogs.
I’ll admit up front that I am currently extremely under-informed, but I have goals to be more informed again in the future. My habits now consist of a random five minutes of KSL or NPR news if ds is asleep when I go to pick up dh (ds hates the news, and lets me know rather loudly), and very occasionally browsing the “Footnotes” links here on this blog.
I really stand in awe of you informed women, because I can’t see just how to fit it into a day just yet. It’s the last thing on my mind. And yes, I think there is at least a little bit of irresponsibility in me over this.
That said, I think our children will learn from our examples in media/news consumption just as they do everything else. If we are indeed obsessed, I would guess some children would follow suit, some would go the opposite extreme, and some would find a happy place in the middle.
I like the ideas above, for input on finding that balance.
Taking the addiction line of thinking Ginger brought up (and please know I’m writing this philosophically; I’m not hinting that it applies to you, Justine), it would be good to understand one’s motives, if there really were a desire for change. Is it the end of the world to not be up on every story, every scientific breakthrough, every political action? Is it important to be able to be in-the-know so as to contribute intelligently in every conversation? (I think one can participate intelligently even without contributing any current information). Questions like that would be good to ask.
Thinking back to when we had two cars, I was a little more informed because I listened to the radio a lot. NPR, KSL and some BBC at least gave me a taste of balanced information. I do miss that.
Thinking back further, I just remembered a letter to the editor I wrote about the value finding a few areas to actively follow and keep up on, because it’s impossible to keep up on everything. That would imply, then, being comfortable with letting others be the experts in other areas and letting them teach me.
I wonder how I’ll work this out for myself and our children. I know I’d like to be more informed than I am now . . . just not this month.
Good, Better, Best
Everyday (and I seriously have to remind myself everyday) to put things in the right order.
I have an hour a day where I sit and enjoy my free time doing whatever I want. (Technically two hours if you count the gym, but I don’t! That isn’t what I call fun) That is when I ‘inform myself’ by reading or getting online. Other than that, I work my way through the things that need to be done. Starting with the ‘best’ first.
I hope that by prioritizing my own life my children will grow up with a good example of how to weed through it themselves.
Wendy, I’m sure some of it is pride on my part, feeling well informed on a wide array of issues. Part of it, though, is my own curiosity. I am fascinated by so many ways the world works. I’m fascinated by Angela Merkel, by what made Lehman Brothers fail, by how hurricanes form, by what moves international markets, how other mothers manage life, what technology is driving new platforms. I can’t seem to let it go!
I have slowed down on my news flow lately, I’m just too busy to do otherwise. But it’s not really just the news. It’s books and reading in general.
I’ve heard some great ideas from you smart, capable ladies!
Justine I understand! Learning is so enjoyable and fulfilling. But there are limits to what the human brain can incorporate to memory. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson “Every time I learn something new it pushes some more stuff out of my brain”. Not everything you read will be absorbed, so choose you input wisely and retain.
Multi-task! When I wanted to know more about Lehman Bros I asked DH. It was informative and built our relationship. Listening to BBC world report in the car is another way, I get the most pertanent global news with as little opinion mixed in as possible, giving room to make up my own opinions.
Good better best is also good advice, I think the talk even mentions watching educational programing as better but perhaps not best.
You know I like to stay informed, and every day it seems like there is critical information that has to be read, learned and processed.
But I’m always surprised when I’m gone from it all for a few days or even a week (yeah, that’s what happens in the mountains of Wyoming)–I come back and it seems like everything is just about where I left it.
P.S. I’m incredibly technologically-illiterate. Tell me how to filter the logs and stuff.
Um, typing while talking on the phone. That’s “blogs,” not “logs.”
I like the advice of good, better, best and multitasking.
I tend to skim headlines more than read in detail. I think I could use a bit more detail, but it is hard to keep up on it all.
And follow the Spirit. When I feel agitated and out of balance, I know that something isn’t right. That doesn’t mean I’m always good at responding to that nudge, but I think I’m getting better.
AND, have you considered reading news tidbits to your kids? That way you get some reading/child time, some information time for you, and some teaching time, too.
Justine, your curiosity doesn’t surprise me at all! You have a thirst–which is a great gift!
jendoop, the Simpson’s quote is sadly hilarious–I think I’ve thought something like that before to explain why I don’t pay attention to some kinds of details. I know somebody who says they can only keep track of so many friends, and if they make a new one, somebody has to go.
I believe today’s infomation overload is one of the reasons it’s so hard to live at this time. While being a pioneer was hard in many ways, life was simpler. Can you imagine how many less interuptions and distractions they had! Today there are so many more things to manage and satan has more things then ever to use against us. Life can be so overwhelming sometimes!
Justine,
This is just one of many posts from you for which I must say “thank you for voicing my own heart on so many issues!” One way to manage your gift is to recognize and channel it for profit, which would naturally force a certain focus on you, as well as justify the time you already love to spend. Many think tanks and marketing research firms need people who love to survey literature or web content and can boil it down for a “highlights” type newsletter to keep certain employees or customers up to date. Malcolm Gladwell would call you a “maven” (Read “The Tipping Point” or a summary thereof on Amazon) and say that your type is indispensible to the rapid spread of good ideas. Also, the best selling business book, “Now, Focus on Your Strengths” (and “Strengthsfinder 2.0″) identifies the gift of “Input” thirst as a key asset for organizations. There are a couple of books called something like “How to Find Your Passion” which have lists of useful questions to help you identify and combine your very favorite topics and activities to find unique niches. There–Now I’ve increased your input demands…tee hee. Alas, I’m a input junkie too. I usually can’t read a genuine blog query without thinking of an input that could be recommended. Forgive me