coping

Take the Triage Approach to Information Overload

11:10PM Kevin Purdy | Philipp Lenssen, who’s normally blogging about Google products and developments, sent a single question to workers at some of the country’s top tech firms on how they deal with all the email, feeds, voicemail, and other clatter clamoring for their attention. The answers are informative and, in some cases, pretty surprising. Elinor Mills, reporter at CNET, talks about her reasonable “triage” approach: I scan email and see what needs immediate attention, set aside things that can wait and then go back to them in order of importance, hoping that none of them expires in the meantime … I scan the RSS and iGoogle headlines several times a day. It is overwhelming the amount of information that gets thrust at you every day all day, especially in the daily news business. I also make a lot of lists of ideas to pursue and stories I’m working on to try to stay on top of it. More »

Avoid Burnout by Changing Your Work Environment

4:00AM Wendy Boswell | If you’re on the brink of being burned out creatively, the simplest solution could just be to change your environment in some way. Tech blogger Scott Berkun has more: What do you do at work when you feel stuck (not burnt out, but just stuck on a problem)? Are there things you can do to your cube or office to help you deal with those times? Posters of work that inspires you? Things that make you laugh? Music that helps you think through a problem? You spend 8 hours a day in that space: it’s worth taking a couple of hours to improve it by even 5 or 10%. What is your coping mechanism for getting through burnout? Let’s hear in the comments. How to survive creative burnout [Scott Berkun] More »