People and organizations cannot keep up with the volume of information produced by technological innovation, as information overload is pushing workers closer to their breaking point.

Sometimes the Internet seems like it’s getting too big. That is, there is so much stuff on the Web: informative stuff, helpful stuff, critical stuff, interesting stuff, offensive stuff, hilarious stuff and ridiculous stuff — a lot of stuff. And it takes up a significant portion of our lives.

In an 8.89-hour average workday, employees spend an average of 2.3 hours daily conducting online research, with one in 10 spending four hours or more on an average day, a new survey by LexisNexis shows.

Yet blame for on-the-job time consumption doesn’t lie solely on the Internet. The same survey found that, on average, professionals spend 7.89 hours conducting research, attending meetings and searching for documents.

Spending too much time conducting research? Ever missed a deadline because of trouble finding necessary information? How often do you find yourself searching for an old e-mail? Having trouble finding the correct or most recent version of a document? Disagreeing with colleagues about the right way to organize information? Have you ever missed a meeting or appointment because of scheduling miscommunication?

How much information is too much, and what is it doing to our ability to be productive?

Information overload is pushing workers to the brink and cutting into workplace productivity, according to the LexisNexis-commissioned 2008 Workplace Productivity Survey, which polled 650 employees in a variety of industries.

According to the survey, a majority of professionals feel they are close to a breaking point, where they will be unable to effectively process or handle any increase in information flow.

The survey found 68 percent of professionals wished they could spend less time organizing information and more time using it. Workers admit that not being able to lay their hands on the right information at the right time impedes their ability to work efficiently, as another 85 percent of respondents said not finding the right information at the right time was a significant time waster. Meanwhile, 62 percent said they spent too much time sifting through useless information.

“The information age has brought the American professional workforce to an information overload,” Mike Walsh, CEO of LexisNexis U.S. Legal Markets, said in a statement.

If we continue to work this way day after day, our brains lose the ability to fully focus our attention and we develop what he has labeled “attention deficit trait,” according to Dr. Edward Hallowell, founder of the Hallowell Center, which provides holistic treatment and education about ADHD for both children and adults, and author of Driven to Distraction.

This condition, which seems to be becoming an epidemic, makes us feel perpetually distracted, impatient, disorganized and overwhelmed by our work. Our performance levels on important tasks also drop with “attention deficit trait” because fully focusing our attention is critical to tapping into our brain’s higher functions.

Research shows that when people are able to fully focus on one task, their brains automatically screen out distractions and they become more creative and deliver their best performances. Time slows for them, and what they are doing becomes effortless and joyful.

The LexisNexis survey indicates that companies have not provided the right tools employees need to cope with this growing information burden. More than 40 percent of the survey participants indicate an inability to handle future increases in information flow.

Walsh said the results should encourage businesses to invest in more efficient research technology, training and tools. “Companies that take action on this issue will realize higher employee productivity and satisfaction,” the CEO said.

When asked what companies can do to solve the information overload problem, some respondents noted their company should invest in faster computers and more up-to-date technology. Others suggested training in information management. Still others said they should be provided with information management technology or tools that are designed to fit their jobs and which work together.

Yet there is no single solution that companies can do to solve the problem, and most survey respondents even said none of these will help.

Earlier: What was I Looking For?

Resource

2008 Workplace Productivity Survey
LexisNexis, Feb. 26, 2008

National Workplace Survey Reveals American Professionals Overwhelmed, Headed for “Breaking Point”
LexisNexis, Feb. 26, 2008