The Internet, and all that it has brought with it, means we now have access to a whole host of products and services at our fingertips almost wherever we are. It doesn't stop there; accessing information is much the same. Whereas 20, or even 10 years ago, we turned to newspapers and magazines for the latest information and opinions, there are now forums, Twitter and blogs, just to name a few, says Uwe Richter, VP and GM, Mindjet International.
Having more connected devices, from smartphones to tablets, does mean we are "connected" around the clock, but a side effect of this is that switching off is difficult. It is all too easy to quickly check our work e-mails when we're watching television, about to go to bed or even on holiday. We even have terms like "bleisure" to describe the blurring of business and leisure, and the ever-popular "information overload" on which I would challenge anyone who says they haven't experienced this at one point or another.
The question is, does all of this result in an efficient way of working? Most of us will admit to being bombarded with information at work, meaning there is little time to stop, take in all that great (or discard the not so great) information and see the overall picture. We just end up feeling more confused and overwhelmed than ever. In fact, Mindjet carried out research last year that confirmed this feeling among UK office workers[1] and, worryingly, it is leaving 14% of us unhappy at work. Echoing this, mental health problems, such as stress, cost the UK economy an estimated £26 billion (more than R338 billion) a year in absence, a fall in productivity and staff turnover.
The situation will only get worse as more data is created each year - IDC found that 1.8 zettabytes of new data was generated in 2011 alone - enough to fill 115 billion 16GB iPads - and 0.6 zettabytes more than was generated in 2010. The answer is finding an effective way of handling all this information and getting the best use from it.
Distinguishing the vital from the insignificant
Psychologist Dr Lynda Shaw explains that, while the human brain is highly adaptable, it is not good at multitasking. It is a common myth that brains act like a localised filing system - which they simply can't. While we may adapt over time to better manage this huge volume of information, we need something to help us cope now. This should come in the form of a filtering mechanism that can separate the important pieces of information from the unimportant, organising it in a logical way, and I believe this comes from adopting a more visual approach. A concept like information visualisation (think of the format a spider diagram or mind map takes) helps businesses and their employees better collect, structure, consolidate and act on ideas and concepts. Essentially, this type of solution makes it easier to see the connections between different pieces of information and get that all important "bigger picture".
But does it make a difference to how we handle information? Well, we've tested it, and yes, it does. Partnering with neurological research experts, Mindlab International, we monitored a number of office workers as they completed a series of everyday tasks using a visual versus linear approach. The experiment found that by utilising visual mapping techniques, we use an average of 20% less cognitive resources to complete a task (compared to using the equivalent traditional, linear software), perform the tasks 17% more efficiently in terms of time, and can recall 6.5% more data after the task is completed.
These findings show that we need to adapt to our current working environment and find new, better ways of working. Continuing to plough on through, hoping that, at some point, things will quieten down for long enough for us to catch our breath, is not the way to deal with the ever-increasing volumes of information. At a time when productivity is key to every business, large or small, visual techniques can help ease pressure for workers, improve employee and team satisfaction, and in turn, performance at work.
Survival of the fittest
Since we entered the new millennium, digital advancements have taken place at break-neck speed. Organisations are only just starting to face up to the challenges that "big data" brings on an infrastructure and operational level, so workers and their teams are still struggling to adapt. What worked well for an employee in 1990 does not necessarily work as well today - and although technology may be causing us sleepless nights, it also has the very real potential to help us work in a more natural, smarter and positive way.
It is the businesses that realise and embrace this that will be on the front foot as we go through an uncertain economic time. Let's not lose any more sleep over our workloads.
Supporting information:
Resources:
For more information about Mindjet's complete product suite, visit Mindjet.com or the Mindjet blog, Conspire.
Mindjet Conspire blog: http://blog.mindjet.com
Mindjet on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mindjet
Mindjet on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mindjet
Mindjet on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/mindjet
More Mindjet news: http://www.mindjet.com/press/reviews/overview