The load of information we humans are expected to carry is a heavy one. No wonder our brain feels “full” at the end of the day. It’s a reminder that our brains didn’t evolve to be constantly filled with information, all day, every day.

In fact, this problem — known as cognitive load coping, how we cope with the endless stream of information into our cognition or thinking — is what the researchers at the Institute for the Future said we’d need solutions for. They knew information would continue to increase and overload us, while our brain’s capabilities would remain much the same.

The Information Overload Research Group — who works to bring people, research and solutions together to solve the problem — says information overload is also known as “infoglut”, “infoxication” or “data smog”. 

When you’re next faced with a slab of information to digest, remember this: we can be overloaded by information in two main ways:

1. Rapidly: watching a complicated presentation full of details, data and tricky computations, and boom! We’re overloaded and can’t take it any more.

2. Gradually: at the end of a day of reading, listening, online meetings, scanning reports and presentations and, oh my, we’re full, we can’t take it anymore.

In both situations, it’s as if we’re part of the zombie uprising: walking about, dazed and confused!

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But each night when we sleep, our brain does some brilliant housekeeping: making connections, synthesising information, storing, filing and generally taking the trash out. It’s why we feel relatively fresh after a good night’s sleep or a restful weekend. We’ve had some precious time to empty our brain, file, sort, store and process everything we’ve been piling into it.

So, how can we make carrying this heavy load a little easier on ourselves? Our brains aren’t going to change, so here’s what can help:

1. Stop soaking

Don’t trust that you’ll remember or recall everything you need to just sitting passively and soaking up the information.

We have limits to what we can carry. Externalise information by getting it out of your head and writing some of it down.

2. Take a break

We can tend to push on or jump from one meeting right into the next. This is a big contributor to those washed-out zombie feelings.

Even a short walk around the lounge room, a pat of the cat or dog, or a breath of fresh air can help “empty the load” we’ve been carrying.

3. Avoid multitasking with important information

The attention of an overloaded mind can’t be trusted if we’re trying to do two or more things at once.

If it’s important information, focus and give it your full attention. Yours or someone else’s life could depend on it.

4. Focus for a period of time

If you have something important to work on or really need to understand and absorb, set a timer for, say, 15, 20, 30 minutes and focus quietly on that task for that time.

5. Release the pressure

Once the timer goes off, take a break. We don’t take anywhere near enough breaks to empty the load we’re carrying.

Allow your attention to be released from what you’ve been absorbing. Do something else, look at something else. Our brain works best in these short sprints of “focus and release”.

The rate of information isn’t slowing any time soon; in fact, it will just keep growing. Until we have brain technology that can do the job for us, we need to make the daily absorption of information easier.

Send the zombies on their way by focusing and capturing important information and then… aaah, releasing the pressure of paying attention by taking more breaks.

Lynne Cazaly is the author of Argh! Too Much Information, Not Enough Brain: A Practical Guide to Outsmarting Overwhelm.