Our world has become a buffet table of information.
- If you don’t know how to fix something, like your toilet, go to YouTube and you’ll find plenty of video tutorials.
- Do you want to read a book? Now you decide whether it should be written on paper, a computer screen, or an mp3?
- Want to find out more about your friend’s personal lives? Odds are you don’t even need to ask. They’re likely broadcasting their private adventures and misadventures on Facebook.
Most information is no longer restricted. We’re not in the pre-printing press world, where there were barriers to knowledge.
Perhaps, we live in what could be called, The Age of Information Overload. I’m guessing that you have lots of unread emails, a DVR that’s more than 50% full of TV programs, and a stack of magazines that you mean to get to someday.
Today the priceless commodity is time. For instance: Within a few minutes, you can find advice on ways to lose weight. The challenge is having the time to carry out the strategy.
Businesses can know what they need to do to succeed but become paralyzed by the fear that they need more information before they act. It can be comforting to say that you need to do more market research, hold another meeting, or ask additional experts for their opinion.
If you are to Clear the Path in today’s climate, you must treat time like a precious resource. It’s not about trying to squeeze more time into your day but removing the stuff that keeps you from getting things done.
Unsure how to get started? Practice asking these questions throughout your day:
- What’s the most important thing I need to do today?
- What am I afraid to do?
- What should have I done already?
The key to the buffet table is not to eat everything. Feeling stuffed makes you not want to consume anymore.
