How much time do you spend reading Twitter updates, Facebook posts or your RSS feeds? How often to you visit your favorite websites or read an inspiring book? All these actions can be extremely beneficial for your self-improvement and business success, however, there can be a downside if you’re not monitoring your exposure.

With so much information easily accessible at our fingertips, it’s easy to reach information overload. This is when you’ve taken in so much information that you’re almost paralyzed from making any forward progress. You have so many ideas or concepts in your head that your mind just gives up in confusion.

Luckily, the solution to this problem is simple. The best way to handle too much information is to output information or ideas. There’s a measurable balance between outflow and inflow. The more you outflow, the more able you are to receive new ideas and inspiration. If you really want to move forward, make sure to take a break from “receiving” good ideas and shift to “giving” them instead.

Some examples of this in action:

• When you read an inspiring book, instead of going straight to the next one, give some time for the ideas to really sink in and then force yourself to “do” something about it.
• If you spend an hour reading Twitter or Facebook updates, spend some time actually posting some yourself.
• If you’re reading articles, engage in the conversation by leaving comments.
• Reading emails daily? Send some out to your subscribers or get caught up with business contacts.

The beauty of this formula is that it works for many other areas of your life besides informational intake. If you’re not experiencing the growth you desire in an area, put more attention on it and find ways to output information or ideas. It’s definitely an application of “you reap what you sow.”

So, how can you benefit from a little outflow today?

Related Topics: creativity • productivity • writing

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