Podcast: Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
As a polymathic professional who has walked multiple career paths, I’ve learned exactly how to deal with information overload.
The real fix for when you feel overwhelmed?
In my experience as everything from a touring musician to university lecturer and the owner of multiple businesses, here’s the ultimate answer:
Improve your memory.
Not in a vague way.
And definitely not “someday.”
But by following a clear, proven path designed to held you reduce mental clutter.
On this page, you’ll discover a system that will sharpen your focus and help you relieve cognitive overwhelm.
Pretty much on demand.
No, I’m not offering any magic bullets or hype.
Just proven strategies for preventing cognitive overwhelm in the first place, along with the self-education strategies that have made my successes possible.
If that sounds good to you, let’s get started.
Understanding the Modern Brain Under Siege:
A Definition of “Information Overwhelm”
It’s supposed to be a dream come true, right?
I’d finished my first major guest professor grant and my first memory improvement books were taking off.
So I went on tour with a band I’d played with in Berlin near the end of my PhD studies.
Never had I experienced so much freedom. Yet, I had also never felt so overwhelmed as my phone buzzed with non-stop updates, alerts and notices of things to do.
As the authors of this scientific overview of information overload have found, it’s not actually the amount of information that drives us crazy.
It’s how that the speed and volume impacts our ability to make decisions.
Stress and memory loss are well-studied, as is memory and anxiety.
But once you know that the biggest problem of all involves a reduction in your ability to think critically, workable solutions emerge.
What follows are the best I’ve found.
They’ve increased my “cognitive budget,” so to speak. Meaning that I have more mental power to spend on the activities that have allowed me to continue playing music while writing novels, learning languages and running multiple businesses.
Of course, there are other aspects of overwhelm to consider. So before we get into the tips, let’s examine what else might be going on in your life.
The Four Levels of Information Overwhelm
Each of the levels we’re about to discuss make critical thinking more difficult, especially analytical thinking.
They are:
- Sensory overload
- Cognitive overload
- Emotional overload
- Decision fatigue
Let’s look at examples of each.
Sensory Overload
When I was a musician, a huge part of the overload came from the noise of traveling all day in a vehicle with my band.
We listened to loud music on top of the traffic sounds. Driving is visually stimulating even if you’re not at the wheel.
And then we would get on stage and have the sensory input of lights, audience cheers and our own extra-loud instruments pounding at us.
One simple hack that helped me was to wear my earplugs while traveling, not just while performing on stage.
As a result, I was able to read on the road and better manage my growing publishing business, which included writing this blog (and still does). To this day, I wear noise-cancelling headphones just to keep myself focused while writing.
As these scientists have found, one of the biggest barriers people face is that they need to experiment with their own ways of reducing sensory stimulation.
Fortunately, Queensland Health has some suggestions that mirror the processes that have helped me, including:
- Identifying places you can go to enjoy reduced stimulation
- Developing routines that involve more time spent in quiet
- Creating a sensory tool kit (sunglasses, noise cancelling headphones, anything that helps you feel calm)
Cognitive Overload
I recently finished the eighth draft of my second “Memory Detective” novel.
The story is so complicated and my notes were all over the place…
There were too many inputs and not nearly enough integration.
The answer was to take a break and then order a print copy of the seventh draft.
I didn’t feel it was ready yet, but by reading the draft in book form, I was able to make marks on the page and consolidate my many notes.
When studying at university, and for my non-fiction books, I rarely have this problem. That’s because I used the Zettelkasten technique to easily organize and integrate my notes.
More on this strategy in a moment, but the point here is that part of my cognitive overwhelm came from working outside my circle of competence as a scholar.
As a result, I shifted how I dealt with the many inputs involved in writing a different kind of book. Chaos ensued until I took a break and approached the task more strategically.
Why did it take so long to arrive at a better solution?
As we now know, overwhelm reduces decision-making skills and other cognitive abilities. Breaking the patterned loop I was in was ultimately the fix, and doing that should help you too with cognitive overload.
Emotional Overload
I have an ongoing debate with a friend who disagrees that emotions have any logic to them whatsoever.
For better or worse, I can’t agree because I’ve read books like The Upheaval of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions.
But often we don’t listen to what the intelligence of our emotions is trying to tell us.
And that leads us into even more emotional chaos.
Some tips that have helped me deal with emotional overwhelm are all science-backed, such as progressive muscle-relaxation and paced breathing.
Cognitive training has helped as well, including some of the memory-based meditation routines I shared in my TEDx Talk.
Decision Fatigue
Making decisions taxes the brain.
As this study discusses, not only do you have to make the decisions in front of you.
You also have to either execute after the decision is made, or hold information about the processes you’ll need to follow in your memory.
One of the best ways to I’ve found to help make sure I don’t get overwhelmed is to keep studying working memory and practice expanding it.
We’ll talk more about ways to do that to beat down info overwhelm. And not just beat it down, but manage it without anxiety.
Memory Techniques that Expand How Much Information You Can Handle
I’ve been teaching memory improvement professionally for over fifteen years.
What you’re about to explore are the best ways to sharpen your memory so that your overall mind enjoys mental resilience and stamina.
Although the science is mixed, usually that’s because they experiments they run involve granular activities.
For example, in this study, they tested N-back tasks and saw negligible results. But most of us aren’t overwhelmed by those kinds of activities.
We’re overwhelmed by to-do lists, massive textbooks we need to read and the digital amnesia created by life online.
Rest assured, there’s lots of good evidence for taking memory training courses, including focusing specifically on working memory training.
You just need to keep your specific goals in mind.
For example, if you’re overwhelmed with language learning activities, then you’ll want to take the memory advice of a world renowned polyglot like Luca Lampariello. You can listen to him on my podcast share a powerful mental metaphor he’s used to reduce his own overwhelm.
Or, if you’re dealing with books as part of your studies, take advice from someone like myself. I take notes from textbooks in a specific way that will help your memory for that specific type of learning goal.
With these points in mind, here are the major memory techniques that will help you deal with all kinds of overwhelm.
One: The Memory Palace Technique
When you’re drowning in information, it’s easy to feel paralyzed.
Especially when the clock is ticking.
The reason you feel overwhelmed?
The brain isn’t designed to hold disorganized data.
That’s why I use Memory Palaces to help internalize information along highly familiar routes that are already in my memory.
I’ve taught thousands of students to use this technique as well, and my testimonial page is quite long with their stories of success.
What is it?
In brief, it’s the king of all the ancient memory techniques.
Sometimes called the method of loci, scientists believe it works because of how our natural spatial memory abilities allow for highly efficient neural coding.
For a full training, please read my guide to the Memory Palace technique. It goes into great depth about how to get started and even reach advanced levels of use quickly.
Two: Personally Created Flashcards
I pull a lot of notes from tons of sources.
That’s why I use the Zettelkasten technique.
Zettel means slips of paper or cards in German. And kasten refers to boxes.
This means that you don’t just take notes on flashcards.
You take them in a way designed to work combination with Memory Palaces and the Leitner Box approach.
Now, there’s a potentially overwhelming amount of things to say about managing these cards, but take a look at the photo above.
In it, you’ll see that I have very little information on the flashcard I’m holding.
That’s on purpose.
Scientifically, I’m practicing what’s often called the chunking memory strategy.
It’s based on the fact that our mental processing power isn’t that large. Even if you engage in a ton of cognitive activities, you’ll still benefit from breaking things down to smaller components.
It’s more than reducing overwhelm. This “less is more” tactic actually helps your brain remember more.
Three: Rapid Fire Alphabetical Associations
Have you ever met someone and said, “Oh, your name will be easy to remember. I have a friend with the exact same name.”
That’s the principle behind making alphabetical associations to expand how much you can remember without overwhelm.
My friends in the memory competition world use this kind of approach to memorize hundreds of data points.
For example, 3x USA Memory Champion John Graham has astonished people by memorizing dozens of names and numbers associated with those names in high pressure situations.
How?
Specifically approached using one of four pegword methods.
You don’t have to learn them all to benefit.
But please set some time aside to pick up at least one or two of these techniques. You won’t regret how they help you rapidly absorb much more info than ever before.
For more powerful methods like these, check out my full list of memory techniques you can start mastering today.
I’ve also got a list of books on learning that often refer to them, amongst other learning strategies that help reduce overload quickly.
Organizing Your Learning For Stress Free Clarity & Retention
If you want to learn how to organize your learning, it matters a great deal what you’re trying to learn.
My strength is study tips for overwhelmed learners based on having completed so many degrees and certificates.
Even in my forties, I still take exams, such as when I passed Level III in Mandarin a few years ago.
Here’s a list of the tactics that have worked the best for me to create mental clarity and focus as a lifelong learner.
One: Balancing Input with Output
Too many students cram, consuming as many of the main points as they can.
Let me be blunt:
For most of us, this is a horrible learning strategy.
You need to integrate what you’re learning by using what scientists call active recall.
Put simply, instead of just studying, you need to regularly test yourself.
That’s why I suggest that you use Memory Palaces and the flashcard method we discussed above.
These techniques require you to process what you’re learning through writing and speaking the material. As a result
Two: Interleaving
One reason I rarely burn out on topics I study stems from my use of interleaving.
It’s a simple process where you switch between topics you’re studying frequently to avoid topic exhaustion.
The way I use it involves switching between books approximately every 15-20 minutes.
And I basically never read for long when feeling frustrated or bored with a topic.
Interleaving lets you switch without guilt and come back later when your brain is ready for another round.
This process helped me get through many books that didn’t feel like reading during university. And it still helps me educate myself when I have to go through articles and books for my research.
Give this approach a try. You’ll likely find it beneficial.
Three: Daily Routines
A huge part of my success comes from purposefully acting a bit robotic.
Almost every day I complete:
- A morning concentration meditation
- A journaling exercise
- Daily reading and writing
- Selective viewing or listening of educational content online
- Evening wind-down routines
I shot this video about my habits three years ago and little has changed:
Four: Environmental Control
Often we struggle to overcome information overload because we put ourselves in locations that do not serve.
True, we sometimes have no choice.
But it is possible to seek out the best places for learning. You have my guide to the best study places I used during university.
Even if you can’t change locations to reduce overwhelm, getting out for a daily walk or sitting in a different room to hear some music can work wonders.
How to Reduce Digital Info Overwhelm
Like everyone, I struggle with the tsunamis of information online.
There are more books than I’ll ever be able to read in a lifetime.
New bands release albums at a pace I can’t keep up with and YouTube is constantly filling up with fascinating new videos.
One simple tactic that helps me is to journal what I spend my time on.
In 59 Seconds, Richard Wiseman shares research showing that people who journal experience time quite differently. In my experience, it feels like I have more of it.
And when I look back through my journals, it’s amazing how much I’ve read and still managed to consume online.
But the act of writing it all down also serves as a kind of mindful reminder. Writing things down constantly raises the question:
Is this digital media I want to consume really worth the time?
If you keep asking yourself that question, written or not, you’ll likely waste less time.
You can also use digital filters. But I tend to think it’s better to train the mind to stand up to these temptations without external devices.
Train Yourself to Become an Intentional Learner
As a polymath and autodidact, I learned long ago that there’s a difference between passive consumption and active learning.
You can learn a lot about making the switch in ways that will reduce your overwhelm by studying how to be a polymath and develop your autodidactic skills.
You’ll also want to study how other top performers managed to learn so much, such as Thomas Jefferson.
Although it’s temping to think that you might not be able to reach those levels, you actually can develop the personality traits they use to learn such incredible amounts without burnout.
The key is to get rid of so many of the cliches floating around out there. For example, many people say you have to be “curious.”
I disagree. A lot of top learners set an intention and then work out what needs to be done in order to accomplish a goal.
Then they do it.
And an open secret is that freedom is in the doing.
So much overwhelm comes from letting lists pile up and never attending to the accomplishment of your dreams.
But that doesn’t have to be you.
You really can master your memory and from there master how your mind responds to overwhelm.
If you’d like help, my free memory course has helped over one hundred thousand people. You can get started with it here:
Remember:
The goal isn’t always to consume less.
It’s to process better.
As someone who’s balanced the demands of academia, creativity and entrepreneurship, I know firsthand what overwhelm feels like.
But I also know that intentionally applying the various tactics I’ve shared today work.
And they scale with your goals too as you tackle increasingly ambitious projects.
So what do you say?
Are you ready to stop drowning in data and start organizing information in your mind with more structure?
I’ll be here learning right beside you and look forward to trading notes soon.
