How to deal with information anxiety

Infobesity is a term that has been coined to describe the information epidemic that is plaguing the corporate world!

This is where companies have overindulged in information making it more difficult for some people to decipher and ultimately deliver.

Attempting to make sense of the ever-increasing quantity of information we are constantly being bombarded with can have a big impact on our productivity, stress levels and overall wellbeing.

The information anxiety theory was propounded by?the American architect and graphic designer Richard Saul Wurman?in 1989. The theory states that information anxiety is produced by the ever widening gap between what we understand and what we think we should understand when information doesn't tell us what we want or need to know.

This is where our ability to think critically and objectively is essential in terms of helping us to be able to navigate our way through complexity in the information age.

So what is critical thinking?

Critical thinking?is the process of analysing, evaluating and rationalising information objectively. A good set of critical-thinking skills helps us to draw conclusions from a set of information and discriminate between what is useful and what is not. This enables us to be better problem solvers and more confident decision makers.

It is a way of?thinking?in which we don't just accept everything we are exposed to at face value. It is about adopting an approach that will help us to rigorously question and challenge information so that we can understand the logical connection between ideas.

The intellectual roots of?critical thinking?are traced to the vision of the great philosopher Socrates who discovered by a method of probing and questioning that people could not rationally justify their confident claims to knowledge.

According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Job's report critical thinking is one of today’s key employability skills and developing the ability to objectively analyse and evaluate can help us to navigate even the most complex problems.

So here are some useful tips on how to be a critical thinker:

Be analytical

Analysing is about breaking information down into component parts and evaluating how well those parts function together and separately. Analytical thinking begins with objectivity and relies on observation, gathering and evaluating evidence so we arrive at a better-informed and more meaningful conclusion.

Observe and listen

Observation is one of the earliest critical-thinking skills we learn and it is about our ability to perceive and understand the world around us. When we carefully observe and document details we will be able to collect information and gain better insight and a deeper understanding into each situation.

?

It is also very important to focus and listen and, instead of being a passive listener during a conversation or discussion, actively participate. Asking questions will help us to distinguish facts from assumptions and probe politely and respectfully for validation.

Be objective

Making a conscious decision to step back from a situation will help us to see the bigger picture and see things from every angle.

?

We also need to to understand our default bias. Whilst we are all capable of behaving in a rational way, a great deal of the time we will be driven by emotional, spontaneous, and unconscious behaviour. Being aware of our inner biases is the key prerequisite for overcoming them.

Manage emotions

Being an effective critical thinker means keeping our emotions in check and approaching things in a calm and dispassionate way. If we are overtired, highly stressed or upset it will be very difficult to apply cool logic. If we feel emotional it is better to take time to step back from the situation and regain our composure before we continue to apply critical thinking.

Taking time to think

One way to gain a better perspective of a situation is to take some time to consider what is really going on. We may sometimes feel that we are being pushed into making a decision or coming up with a conclusion without having had sufficient time to apply critical thinking. On occasions we may need to push back and create the time and space to think.

Determine relevance

One of the challenges of thinking critically is working out what information is the most relevant and important. In many situations we will be presented with information that may seem valuable on face value, however it may turn out to be only a minor detail in the whole equation.

In summary

Critical thinking may well mean questioning long-established practices and refusing to accept traditional approaches simply because that is the way it has always been done. Even though our willingness to challenge may seem controversial to some, it is an essential part of the creative and innovative mindset of a successful critical thinker.

?I will be hosting various free wellbeing webinars this autumn/winter please do email me [email protected] for dates and information