My Cup Runneth Over. The blogs, twitter, facebook, youtube et all. When is enough, simply enough?

I have a bookmark folder full of articles to read, presentations to watch, people to consider following. It scrolls down into the abyss, no doubt filled with gems of delight and probably equally dribbling in nonsense and rubbish, with a sprinkling of insight I simply don’t need.

That folder made realise I had to cut back, for I was overstretched on the rack of the internet. Being torn asunder by the information and visual overload.

Often I had neglected communities, projects and hobbies for the forsake of 140 characters. I was giving time sifting through the updates of facebook for the gold dust of meaningful content.

Too much information was getting in the way of enjoyment, focused learning and wonder. It was getting in the way of increased productivity. I was feeding on the crumbs of a plethora of topics, not devouring large junks, in turn not gaining greater understanding of fewer topics, rather instead knowing an abundance of titbits of many that provided no value. I was hindering my personal development and life.

I love cultures, getting to know people, learning and discovering. I love the different ways to share information. I realised instead of aiding the experience, I was being blinded. Youtube, twitter, flickr, facebook, news sites and more. I needed to manage the flow of the stream and in some cases go cold turkey. Enough was enough.

It was painful especially walking away from twitter, but too many grains of sand were being drained away there. That time was needed elsewhere, in other communities, time focused on specific topics and in some cases following personal blogs, instead of dozens of people on twitter. Blogs show more attention to detail and obviously can be far more insightful.

I won’t bore you further with the steps I’ve taken, some temporary, some probably permanent. The seeds have been sown and already the rewards are being reaped. I'm managing my online presence in a more meaningful way and a way that is right for me today. Who knows what is right for me tomorrow.

Are you suffering internet or social overload and don’t even realise it?

Note: This post was by Andrew and you can find my personal blog here.