Customer Reviews

Surviving Information Overload: The Clear, Practical Guide to Help You Stay on Top of What You Need to Know

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This is a great book, though the title is an understatement. More than surviving information overload, it's about conquering information overload--learning how to use information to maximize your life without becoming a slave to technology. Kevin Miller has a technique for just about everything, from managing email to surfing the internet (he shows you which search engine to use for what purpose) to organizing your office to prioritizing your day...and, subsequently, your life. I found the second chapter, "Selecting Your Key Information Areas" most helpful; through a simple five question survey I was able to define and refine my list of professional and personal priorities--and I was able to pinpoint which areas need pruning. Also helpful is chapter four, "How To Turn Information Into Results," which shows how to put information to work by focusing on action steps related to each meeting and each project. Though there are hundreds of tips and practical pointers in this book, "Surviving Information Overload" is a quick and easy read. What's more, Kevin's foreword gives you permission to skip some sections and skim others. "You don't have to finish this book. Read only as much as you find helpful," he says. Actually, being able to skip and skim is a sign you're getting the hang of Miller's method--there's no point in trying to sort information you have no use for. For me, however, I read the whole thing.

This is the best productivity book I've read. I have been recommending this book to everyone I know, including my staff. I don't think there is a person who would not benefit from some portion of the book. The book is extremely well organized, with practical, actionable advice, and it's a quick read. The author identifies the potential beneficiaries of each chapter up front, making it easy for the reader to decide whether the chapter would help him or her. I've already implemented many guilt-free changes, such as ceasing to read materials whose content I'm already familiar with, unsubscribing from email lists, delegating more tasks since I cannot possibly be an expert in everything. Even though much of the advice may be common sense (though the book does contain various levels of detail in dealing with TMI), somehow reading the book gives you the authority to do the things you knew you ought to be doing anyway. One of my favorite gems is his advice to divide the stacks of reading materials you're hoarding into three piles: one you really do need/wish to read, one you'll read when you get through the first pile, and one you you don't need to read at all. Then he directs you to toss the third pile, and while you're at it, toss the second pile because, let's face it, you're never going to get through the first one. Honesty like that makes the book very refreshing.

Good introdcution to a subject which is almost always overlooked. The examples are interesting and you can apply to everyday life. A practical approach.

Working in a publishing company, the author, Kevin Miller surely knows about information overload. And his book proves he has figured out how to cope with it. What to save,skip, read or file are constant challenges in my small business world. This book gives me a framework and great tips. Practical stuff. Worth picking up--and saving!

I am not by nature a person who likes to organize information and papers and processes, but I have to do it in order to be productive. This book makes it painless for the organizationally challenged. Kevin obviously knows his stuff and likes to be simple in his advice. Anyone who is either an organizational fanatic or a helpless "where did I put that?" will enjoy and benefit from this book.

This is the first time I have reviewed a book on amazon. This book is a MUST READ for those of you, like myself, who are DROWNING in information overload! This book is full of information and very useful "golden nuggets" to help you focus in on the information that is most important to you, and to also help you clear away some of the "information clutter" in your life. I really could not say enough about the author's helpful advice. This book is about as practical and as easy to read as they get. Definitely not technical, but EXTREMELY HELPFUL. I HIGHLY recommend this book for those that are overwhelmed at the amount of information coming your way! Consider this book a "life preserver" to keep you from drowning in the massive ocean of information.

"Surviving Information Overload" by Kevin A. Miller has a subtitle of, "The Clear, Practical guide to help you stay on top of what you need to know." I found the book full of practical advice to do just that. I also agree with the statement on the back, "You don't need to read all of it - just what you need when you need it." However, you may want to read it all the way through quickly like I did, and then refer back to sections that might help you with certain areas in your own life and situations.

One might note that on the back of the book for classification purposes, it is listed as: Christian Living/Practical Life/Business & Leadership. I bring this up because there is a bit of Miller's Christian beliefs in the book. Some people will like this, others may not. Most of the book focuses on practical information overload issues with a little Christian faith here and there. However, the final chapter short chapter is specifically aimed at church leaders and the book ends with a short prayer by Richard Kriegbaum from "Leadership Prayers." For some, this will make the book better, for others, they might not like it. Some won't care and will read the book for the information overload advice, which is what the book is mostly about.

Again, the author suggests reading the parts of the book that you need to read and that will help you. To assist in this, at the beginning of each chapter he tells who the chapter is most meant for. For example, at the beginning of the chapter "How To Find What You Need Online" it states, "Read this chapter if you search the web two or more times per week and if you get many results that aren't what you're looking for." These suggestions will help the busy reader choose which sections of the book to read for the most benefit.

There are four parts to the book, with each part having several chapters. Part One is Finding The Information You Need. The chapters include: What we're up against, selecting your key information areas, the fine art of capturing good ideas, and how to turn information into results.

Part Two is Clearing Information Clutter. The chapters include: Your information audit, how to handle e-mail, how to find what you need online, how to handle voice mail, junk mail, and magazines, and how to organize, file, and store information.

Part Three is Creating Space To Think, and included chapters on: Tap the power of block days, try an info-techno Sabbath, why we secretly like overload, and blessed are they who admit their ignorance.

Part Four is titled Bonus Stuff and includes the chapter Great Information on Information which lists various references that may help you with specific areas, and the final chapter I mentioned above: A Word for Church Leaders.

Overall, I found some useful tips regarding information in this book. It's worth a quick read if you are having trouble with some of the topics he covers. I, like almost everyone these days, seem to get bogged down with the amount of information flooding at me at high speed and volume. I plan on trying a few of Miller's ideas to help me do as he says, Survive Information Overload.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks.

Do you ever need help just managing to stay on top of all of the information coming your way? I know I do. Functioning, as I do, as a homeschooler, a blogger and a writer, I sometimes feel like I'm drowning in all of the paperwork, e-mails, letters, and everything else associated with what I do. That's where this book comes in.

Surviving Information Overload actually does more than help you to survive. Following the well thought out, well organized, orderly information in this book, will help you to thrive and stay on top of everything that is screaming "Look at me! Read me! Organize me!".

The book is laid out in such a way that you only have to read the parts that apply to your particular situation. However, as it is very readable and quite enjoyable, you just might want to read it all. The book is extremely practical, very doable, and loaded with common sense approaches some of us (dare I say, many of us) either haven't thought of or haven't found the time to do. This book will encourage you to take the time to take back your life.
DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this book for purposes of review from Zondervan. I was not required to give a positive review, only a fair and honest one. My opinions are my own.

Use this with The Instant Productivity Toolkit, also Hell Yes!: Two Little Words for a Simpler, Happier Life.
Mr Miller's concept of *block days* is wonderful.