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Information Overload and Deficiency for Business Owners |
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July 2007 |
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As a business owner or manager, we may feel that there is too much information coming to us to read and that we do not really have the time for it. As a business director or entrepreneur, you may find that there is not enough information or that most accessible information is less than helpful. Most businesses in New Zealand are small, and the same person normally plays the roles of manager, director and in some cases the technician. Whether you will find too much or too little information depends on your major role and what your agenda is. We will offer some hints below if you have experienced an information overload. Classify information coming to your attention in 3 categories: essential, desirable and maybe. Get rid of the 4th category called junk or spam. Give your immediate attention to Essential Information such as a customer complaint, a supplier stock shortage or a sudden surge in NZD exchange rate. Arrange responding actions to maintain your corporate missions (which are not profits). If you have time, attend to Desirable Information such as a suggestion to sell your hot pies in a tin foil lined paper box with a disposable fork. Keep one or two information pieces in the "maybe" category for reading in case you have time. Keep your desktop and email IN tray clean and empty! Do not shuffle information into drawers or folders with NO plan of viewing them periodically. The above guideline is common sense but only if we practice it as a daily habit.
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