An overwhelming number of inputs

We have a lot of things being thrown our way. In a typical day, most of us will have to deal with requests coming via email, text messages, social media, to-do lists and a variety of other places. It can be a lot!

As Khe Hy said in a recent post, many of us often have three problems:

1. I never have enough time
2. I have a futile fixation of getting it all done
3. I’m overwhelmed by the number of inputs in my life

There’s not an easy solution to this, but a few small shifts can help.

First, “never having enough time” is often something put on us by others. If you find yourself with too little time to get everything done, the issue may be more with your priorities than your available time.

Second, getting a tight grip on your inputs is essential. I laid this out in-depth in The Digital Efficiency Framework, but you really have three kinds of inputs coming at you:

• Controlled Inputs, where you have tight control of everything in there. This is generally things like your daily flashcards and your consumption list (such as apps like Pocket).
• Variable Inputs, where you have some control with things such as email, RSS feeds, and the quick notes that you leave for yourself (which may be inspired by things that others tell you to do). The key…