Coping with information overload

Information overload is that awful state in which we all find ourselves today, overwhelming us with the vast amount of information with which we are forced to deal.

- AJIT BALAKRISHNAN

This sense of helplessness occurs when the volume and speed of incoming data exceed our cognitive processing capacity, leading to stress, reduced productivity and poor decision-making. With the internet, social media, and constant notifications, individuals and organisations face excessive choices and data streams, often struggling to identify what is relevant or true. Information overload can dilute focus, hinder learning, and reduce the ability to think deeply, requiring strategies such as filtering, prioritisation, and digital minimalism to manage effectively.

The focus of this book is to provide the reader with what the author considers the most critical skill a person needs to navigate through a career: The skill to generate "insights" from this flood of information. By "insights" he means uncovering hidden patterns in the data that the person has about a problem or challenge and opening up entirely new possibilities based on these findings.