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A Guide to Cutting Back When You Feel Overwhelmed

There is more to life than increasing its speed. - Gandhi

There are days in everyone’s life when they feel overwhelmed by the stresses and tasks and projects and phone calls and emails that weigh upon them. Yes, even the minimalists like me get overwhelmed from time to time.

How do you deal with it? There are many ways, of course, from eating and smoking and drinking to exercise and meditation and more.

My recommendation: Cut back. Simplify. De-load.

Why We Get Overwhelmed
I think the tendency for most of us is to say “yes” to most of the things coming into our lives. Maybe it’s that we’re too nice to say no. Maybe it’s that we are overly optimistic about how much we can get done. Maybe we don’t want to look bad by saying we can’t do something. Or maybe we’re afraid to miss out on opportunities by saying no.

Saying “no” to any commitments we can’t handle would be ideal, of course, but like I said, we usually have a tendency to say “yes” to more than we can actually handle. And we become overwhelmed, stressed, and exhausted.

As you know, simplicity is the key to my philosophy. If things get complicated, I say you should simplify. Don’t try to do more. Reduce.

The Effects of Stress and Overload
We all know that too much stress is bad for us. Sure, you can’t avoid stress completely, and without some stress we would never grow. But too much stress? It leads to problems.

Stress leads to many health problems, for example: headaches, muscle aches in your shoulders, neck, back … it ages you prematurely, leads to ulcers, heartburn, high blood pressure, heart disease, overeating and more. Not a pretty picture.

But there’s more. Overloading yourself also leads to decreased effectiveness. Taking on too much means we don’t do as good a job with the work we attempt. We often switch between tasks, jumping from one to another, so that we actually take longer to do things and often don’t complete tasks. Or we’re so rushed with the tasks we do complete that quality suffers.

I submit that doing less makes you more effective, and thus more productive. It’s worked for me, at least. I have a tendency to slash things off my to-do list, to cut back on my projects when I feel overwhelmed. The result? I’m less stressed, and I actually complete projects — from my ebook to this blog to projects at my day job to new projects I’m finishing up … I’ve been getting very good at knocking out the 2-3 projects I have on my plate at any given time.

Coping with Stress
There are many ways to cope with stress, as I mentioned above. Not all of these methods are created equally:

Negative coping: Some of the more common methods of coping with stress and overload include eating, smoking, drinking, and shopping. We’ve all done it, so I’m not judging, but I view these things as negative coping. Again, I’ve done all four (as well as others), so I know that they can feel like you’re really de-stressing … but in fact, they can actually lead to more stress. Eating, smoking and drinking, if overdone, are unhealthy … and when you do something unhealthy, that’s stressful to your body. Shopping is bad for you financially (again, if overdone) and that leads to financial stress. While these things can give you temporary relief, they are not good in the long run.

Positive coping: These are things I always recommend — exercise, relaxation techniques, Yoga and meditation, taking a hot bath. These lead to less stress, and you should do them every time you get stressed. I replaced smoking with running, and it was the best thing I’ve ever done.

Reducing the stress: Even better than the positive coping methods, of course, is reducing stress at the source. What is stressing you out? See if you can reduce that source of stress. For this article, we’re going to assume that it’s your workload, whether that’s personal or business work. And the way to reduce that source of stress is to cut back on your workload. Let’s look at how to do that.

How to Cut Back
The problem is, most people who are overwhelmed feel like they just can’t cut back. They feel like they need to work harder to get everything done that needs to get done. They think that taking a break, or cutting back on their workload, is out of the question.

If that’s you, you’re probably the person who needs to cut back the most. Of course, I’m not in a position to judge you, but it’s something to consider.

So how do you cut back when you feel like you can’t? Based on stuff that’s worked for me, here are my recommendations:

1. Step back. In order to make the decisions necessary for cutting back, you need to take a few minutes to clear your head and think. Stop whatever you’re doing (or if you can’t, then schedule 30 minutes for sometime today), and take some time to consider everything you have going on. Take a walk to clear your head if necessary. Get some fresh air.

2. List everything. Make a list of all your tasks and projects (or one list for each if you like). Put everything on there, including personal stuff, civic commitments, everything. In order to make good decisions, you’ll have to see everything at once.

3. Set limits. It may seem impossible, but if you set limits for yourself, you will be forced to choose only the essential. The actual limits aren’t as important as the act of setting them at this point — you can adjust the limits later depending on what works for you. I recommend you choose just 3 important tasks to accomplish today, and limit yourself to only 3 projects.

4. Prioritize. Once you’ve set the limits, you can take a look at your long list of tasks and projects, and choose which ones you’re going to focus on. Which tasks and projects are the most essential? NOT the most urgent, but the ones that will get you the most long-term benefit. Which ones will have the most impact? Often some tasks and projects will seem urgent, but it’s only in our head. If you ignore them, they often lose their urgency (not always, but many times).

5. Eliminate. Of the tasks and projects you didn’t choose as your top priorities … are there any that can be just eliminated? Any that you can put on a someday list? Any that can be delegated or automated? You don’t need to do everything on your list — slash it mercilessly.

6. Renegotiate commitments. Of the stuff you decide not to do now, but can’t just eliminate or delegate … you’ll need to renegotiate them. Go to the person or people you’ve committed yourself to, whether that be a boss or a client or a team or a spouse or friend, and tell them honestly that you just cannot do everything on your plate right now, and ask for a different deadline or timeline. Can they wait a week? A month? Set a new date, and try to stick to it.

7. Take time off. This step is optional, of course, but if you can possibly take a day or half a day or even several days to relax and recuperate, that’s the best possible scenario. That will mean renegotiating everything on your list, probably, so that you don’t feel stressed while taking time out or overwhelmed when you get back. Push everything back a week, two weeks, or a month, depending on the commitment, so that you don’t have anything urgent when you get back. Then take time off, and don’t do any work. Don’t even think about work. Do that when you get back — upon returning to work, take at least 30-60 minutes to prioritize and plan so that you can focus on your most important projects and not be overwhelmed (see next step).

8. Create the ideal workday. What would your ideal workday be? When would you work on your most important tasks? When would you start and end? When would you take breaks, hold meetings, have lunch? I suggest mapping out your ideal workday, with blocks of time for certain types of tasks. For example, I might choose 2 hours in the morning to write, another hour for communication (email, etc), 2 more hours to work on my most important project, an hour to exercise, an hour for smaller tasks, etc. By creating this map (and sticking to it as much as possible), you create a structure that will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed, and that will have you at your most effective.

There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them. - Sylvia Plath

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

A Guide to Cutting Back When You Feel Overwhelmed

There is more to life than increasing its speed. - Gandhi

How do you deal with it? There are many ways, of course, from eating and smoking and drinking to exercise and meditation and more.

My recommendation: Cut back. Simplify. De-load.

As you know, simplicity is the key to my philosophy. If things get complicated, I say you should simplify. Don’t try to do more. Reduce.

Coping with Stress
There are many ways to cope with stress, as I mentioned above. Not all of these methods are created equally:

If that’s you, you’re probably the person who needs to cut back the most. Of course, I’m not in a position to judge you, but it’s something to consider.

So how do you cut back when you feel like you can’t? Based on stuff that’s worked for me, here are my recommendations:

There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them. - Sylvia Plath

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

Posted on 16 January 2008 in Happiness, Productivity & Organization, Simplicity |
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Comments (46)

D. Amorrae Says:

January 16th, 2008, 20:44 pm

This article is right on point. Now if only I can convince my wife to read this, her professional experience would be more delightful. Thanks so much for this Leo.

Brandon Harshe Says:

January 16th, 2008, 20:51 pm

I, too, agree with you. Negative coping can be a real problem, like you said. I know a lot of people who cope with things in a very unhealthy way and I just cringe. If only everyone could learn to cut back…

metroknow Says:

January 16th, 2008, 20:53 pm

Great quote to start the article. I especially like suggestion number 8 — I am a white boarding kind of person. I like to have my goals up on the wall on a white board where I see it every day as a reminder. I’ve done this with my ideal work ideas, story ideas, blog ideas, business ideas, plots, and so forth, and it really works for me.

I will have to give it a try with outlining my ideal workday - ideal Productive workday, that is, because my ideal workday involves snowing to keep me from going in…

Brad Isaac Says:

January 16th, 2008, 20:59 pm

Recently, when I find myself tempted to stop what I am doing and to start something else, I asked myself “have I completed what I’m doing yet?” If the answer is no, I get back on task.

It sounds basic I know… but it works for me.

Completing a task 100% is key to keeping sane as well as achieving what you want to of life. The constant push of others to make urgent business of things not on your radar has got to stop if you want to get what’s important to you done.

Mina @ [The Monkey Pod] Says:

January 16th, 2008, 21:06 pm

When I was beginning my career saying no was hard because I didn’t want to miss out on opportunities for advancement. In recent years I’ve learned to find a balance by taking time to sit back and look at the big picture. I’ve also learned that decisions don’t need to be made the moment they present themselves.

Jason Says:

January 16th, 2008, 21:26 pm

Great timing for this! I’ve been stressing out from being overwhelmed the last few days and decided today I needed to cut back. Thank you.

Tina Su - Think Simple Now Says:

January 16th, 2008, 21:58 pm

Timely post. Love the advice. :) So simple, yet it’s so easy to forget.

Another tip is to expect not to be stressed out and set out the intention that it will work out regardless (we all know from experience that everything always turns out fine.)

I just wrote a new article that specifically talks about sending out the right intentions and focus in order to achieve the results we want… without stress:
Train Your Eyes to See Color Again

Warmly,
Tina

Steve Nguyen - BeyondBehaviors.Com Says:

January 16th, 2008, 22:24 pm

Leo: This is your first post-I-quit-my-day-job post! How cool is that?!

Getting back to your post…I work with college students who range from 18 to their mid 50’s with various disabilities (physical, learning, psychological/emotional) and oftentimes what I hear most, especially those with psychological problems is that they just have “so much going on” or that they “can’t handle all the stress.” And just as you’ve shared, I try to get them to take a step back to see that they can cut back on some of the things they have going on. Even more importantly, that it is their choice to say no and the power of saying “No.”

No matter how much medications some of these students take and no matter how strong the dosage, if they don’t “cut back”, “declutter”, or “simplify” their lives their circumstances tend to stay exactly the same.

Great post Leo. Congrats again. Man, I am so happy for you!

Leland Thorpe Says:

January 16th, 2008, 23:00 pm

Great post, Leo. This is perfect for the start of a new semester at school when I’m wondering how many things I want to have on my plate this Spring.

Question, though: How do you propose going about identifying that which is stressing us out, whether it’s work or anything else in our lives? I’ve found that stress often muddles my mind and creates giant blind spots, which are hard to get beyond. Have you any tips/ideas?

Cory Huff Says:

January 16th, 2008, 23:20 pm

I learned this as an actor. There are so many people who want to get artists to do things for free. “It’s a good cause,” they always say. I learned that I have to be a little bit ruthless when I say no to people, or else I give away all of my personal time.

Great post.

Keith D Says:

January 16th, 2008, 23:25 pm

Good post,

My job stress has been enormous lately. Sometimes I just have to back off no matter what. Today I did not get lunch until about 3:30. I ate it in Old Town Alexandria down by the Potomac then took a walk through the art studios in the Torpedo Factory. Serendipity. Haven’t taken the time to visit there for 20 years. That little hour off looking at beautiful, original, interesting art down by the water was the prescription. It even allowed me to graciously take the snarky call that the toilet was broken at home. Everyone wants to be Ironman, but it is just beyond reality. You have to back off periodically… no…matter…what.

Leo Says:

January 17th, 2008, 0:24 am

Leland said: “How do you propose going about identifying that which is stressing us out, whether it’s work or anything else in our lives? I’ve found that stress often muddles my mind and creates giant blind spots, which are hard to get beyond.”

Hmm. I know what you mean by your mind being muddled by stress — I’ve been there many times. When the source of stress isn’t obvious, you really need to take a step back and calm down. That means take a walk or something, take some deep breaths, get outside and look at nature. Then, when you’ve calmed down, you can look at everything with a little perspective. That often helps me.

The Cubecul Says:

January 17th, 2008, 0:34 am

Spot on, spot on. I can’t say anything more. Finals week is coming and this is going to come into use. Thanks!

Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:

January 17th, 2008, 1:01 am

My approach is to question absolutely everything because nothing is sacrosanct. I wrote about it recently at http://www.varsityblah.com/need-for-speed

“Since then, I’ve stopped watching TV (except for my favorite shows), stopped listening to annoying DJs on the radio, stopped watching the news bulletins several times a day, cut back my online subscriptions from nine to two, and cut back my print subscriptions from five to one.

“It may be hard to let go of all the data, but do you honestly need to check your email and other messages several times a day? Besides, if anything that important happens, you’ll know. Why not spend some time discovering the likes of Tolstoy and Twain, something I recently decided to do? I’m up for the challenge and can’t wait to get started!”

Miss Gisele from myBeautyMatch.com Says:

January 17th, 2008, 1:25 am

Leo,

Juggling too many activities is one of the most common problems for business owners and bloggers.

Your advice is excellent, but I’ll go back to one of your older posts and say that if all else fail, meditation is an amazing way to cope with feeling overwhelmed by our over-booked life.

That said, learning to say “no” also hels a whole lot!

Gisele

Warren Says:

January 17th, 2008, 1:47 am

I recently quit my part time job and am now completely self employed so I am trying to set up #8 and create the ideal work day for myself. This blog, over the past few months has definitely cut my stress down with great simplification techniques. Thanks for another great post.

maria Says:

January 17th, 2008, 4:09 am

Hello,
what happened with the main page? it has disappeared, the link is not there anymore! I can”t access it, the first link now is “About” while “The Blog” link vanished! ??

Congrats for your success and thanks for your fantastic blog,

Leo Says:

January 17th, 2008, 4:59 am

@Maria: just click on the words “zen habits” in the header to get to the main page.

Alex Blackwell Says:

January 17th, 2008, 7:16 am

Great list Leo to remind us of how to move our lives from the complex to the simple. Less is more sometimes.

sandra Says:

January 17th, 2008, 8:09 am

So true. More than 3 projects and it´s the end of our productivity.
I´ve been reading your blog since July, and is the only one is hit in my problems all the time.
Because of you I´m readinf english every day ( live in Portugal) and I´m follow what you say: learn a foreign language ( better than scholl).
Thanks very much for change my life.
Good luck for all your projects.

Joshua Says:

January 17th, 2008, 9:10 am

Excellent post, Leo :) I’ve often turned to negative methods of coping and this year one of my number one resolutions was to learn to say ‘no’. Obviously it carries a bit of a negative connotation, but there are polite ways to decline an offer without coming off as rude.

stephanie Says:

January 17th, 2008, 10:09 am

interesting post and good common sense but i tend to find that by the time i’m overwhelmed, it’s too late to start saying ‘no’ to things. these are commitments i’ve already made and i’m breaking promises to people. and when i do start saying ‘no’ it tends to affect future activities leaving me bored and prone to over scheduling myself again. any advice on how to avoid swinging between the two extremes?

-s

Rae Says:

January 17th, 2008, 10:12 am

Also, I’ve noted that often having too many things going on is cyclical. Life will be crazy for a week and then calm down so sometimes it’s just a matter of saying. . .is this temporary chaos and will it end soon. Then you can (sometimes) just go with the flow of the craziness and be more relaxed about it.

liz Says:

January 17th, 2008, 11:38 am

Interesting points, good basic advice that we all need to hear from time to time, but your final quote undermined the whole thing for me…please research your sources! If hot baths had been so curative for Ms. Plath, perhaps she wouldn’t have committed suicide at age 30.

KRIS Says:

January 17th, 2008, 12:03 pm

Right! I can relate. Before, I was working 17 hours a day for two full time jobs, then having not much sleep. I wasn’t eating on time. I wasn’t used to eating breakfast too. I always say “Too many things to do, too little time…”

I thought working too much was a good way to forget about something not so good in life like heartbreaks. lol.

Whew! Tough.

But it wasn’t too late until I learned to balance life and work.

Now it’s real fun…

Sonia Simone Says:

January 17th, 2008, 14:02 pm

Great post, and very useful to keep in mind. With a day job, blog, side job and 2-year-old, I have to prune pretty much constantly.

TV? What’s TV? :)

clearnew Says:

January 17th, 2008, 15:52 pm

My first comment on your blog!

I can’t remember how I found your blog Leo but I love it! You’ve got a lot of good things to say and I look forward to reading your e-book but that’s on my “some-day” list right now! 

I’m in a situation where I’m feeling extremely overwhelmed and I know that it’s taking a toll on my health. I read articles like this one and think, “Well that’s great but how do I eliminate? How do I cut back?” I truly feel at this point in my life that these things are a lot easier said than done.

I’m currently attempting to balance my private/family and professional lives and I’m failing miserably. I got a “talking-to” from my boss yesterday as he feels that I am not working hard enough (IE: not here enough, taking too much time off to go to Dr’s appointments with my pregnant wife etc).

All I know at this point is, these things are 10 times easier to say then they are to do.

Never the Same River Twice Says:

January 17th, 2008, 16:07 pm

When pruning your list, I think it’s important to keep in mind the difference between dis-stress (bad, out of control stress that will kill you) and eu-stress (inspiring, energizing stress brought on by engaging projects).

If a task is pure dis-stress, do anything in your power to get rid of it. If it is mostly eu-stress, try to keep it in your life. Of course, there is a line where eustress becomes distress, so you may still have to prune interesting stuff.

deepali Says:

January 17th, 2008, 16:13 pm

What if it’s stressful to say no?

Seorsa Says:

January 17th, 2008, 16:19 pm

First time I have read you, and I really like what you ahve to say.I would like to flesh out a couple of things:
Stress can be good: it can motivate, energize, and increase productivity. A good definition of stress: Stress is a mismatch between the demands in our lives and the resources we have to deal with those demands.

The key to managing stress is a 4 step process:
1) Awareness: developing teh awareness that you are becoming stress
2) Acceptance: Identify stressors, and situations that cause you stress. Accept your limitations in dealing with these stressors.
3) Coping: develop effective coping strategies
4) Practice: Keep repeating the above steps!

Don’t forget to manage how you think/talk about things, people and situations. “The glass is half full” creates less stress than “The glass is half empty”.

Your suggestions for coping strategies are great!

workout mommy Says:

January 17th, 2008, 16:22 pm

great post, although I’ve gotten to the point where my lists have lists! I need to step back and take some time off!

Angie Says:

January 17th, 2008, 17:04 pm

PERFECT TIMING!! This is definitely what I need right now. I put way too much on my plate and feel I let other people down when I say NO! But I am getting better..slowly, I am delegating, saying no and prioritizing. Thanks!

James Says:

January 17th, 2008, 17:47 pm

I suppose I am lucky in a way that right now I’m able to set my own workload, and I only ever take on the amount I can manage each day. If it looks like I will run out of time, I just trim back the to-do list so I never get that feeling that I’ve got too much to do. If things start to overwhelm me I take some time out to make a (very) clear plan of what exactly I need to do next. I find a lot of problems arise when you are not 100% clear on what you are doing.

James, Organize IT

Leo Says:

January 17th, 2008, 18:14 pm

Thanks for the great comments everyone!

@liz: Plath’s quote is a nice one no matter who it comes from. We don’t know enough about her to say that hot baths didn’t work for her, just because she committed suicide. Who knows? Maybe hot baths prevented her from doing so years earlier. At any rate, I liked the sentiment. :)

@deepali: You’re right, it can be very stressful to say no, especially if you’re not used to it. But it gets easier if you practice, and besides, I think it’s more stressful to say yes … maybe not immediately, but eventually, when you become overwhelmed.

banji Says:

January 17th, 2008, 21:48 pm

Good post.. as always.

The art of cutting back is really a difficult skill to master. Overdo it and you were left with no work done.

I read about Pareto 80/20 rule which I believe you’ve known for years. Basically for those who are not familiar, it says that out of 100 task to be done today, there will always be only 20 of them that are the most important. These 20 if done, will be equivalent of you finishing up 80 task of the day.

Why I highlighted the old rules, is because that in my opinion will help in cutting back our commitment. Simply identify the 20% of the vital few :)

Congratulation to you on turning pro. That will definitely be my ultimate goal :)

Dasha Says:

January 17th, 2008, 23:21 pm

Leo, love the blog. But I have to ask - what do you do if you CAN’T cut back?

I absolutely love my job (public service), but it is literally more work than can be done within the maximum time that I am allowed to work per week (42 hours, not counting lunches, union rules). This is true of everyone in my office- it is just accepted that it is not possible to keep up with the workload and that you will always be overwhelmed. There are no tasks that you can cut or delegate. While I - and everyone else - has sort of come to terms with this, it is exceedingly stressful. It would take me about a month to do all the work I have right now- and that is if no new work was coming in, and new work comes in all the time. So how does one cope when cutting back is not an option? Oh and the office is LOUD with tons of distractions….. I think this is mission impossible :)

Jane S. Says:

January 18th, 2008, 3:03 am

Hang in there, Dasha. I worked in public service for 35 years and I fully understand what you’re saying. Two things that helped:

– Focus on the people you WERE able to help and the work that you WERE able to do, not all the work you haven’t gotten to. The quickest way to burn out in public service is to care so much about the people who you were unable to help and if you’re burned out, you can’t really help anyone. You’re just going through the motions.

–Practice shutting out the conversations and distractions that are going on around you, so you can concentrate on your own tasks. You are probably in a job where using earphones or music isn’t really an option for you. But the Japanese, who have lived in close proximity for centuries, have cultivated a practice of mentally isolating themselves from the distractions of all that surrounds them when necessary and we can learn this skill, too.

Harmony Says:

January 18th, 2008, 5:54 am

Hi Leo :) CONGRATULATIONS!!! on becoming a pro-blogger, and also on winning the blog award. You are such a good person and it is great to see good things happening for you :)

Also I was wondering - if you have time - if you could possibly move the “print” link (currently at the bottom of each post) to the top of the page or article? I print most of your posts to read at home or on the bus that’s all so I thought I would ask.

Congrats again, and all the very best with your new career :)

Keith Says:

January 18th, 2008, 12:15 pm

I know this might sound odd, but a simple egg timer ( or something like Minuteur on OS X) really helps me schedule and set limits. I pick whatever task I’m working on, set the timer for 30 minutes, 45 minutes, whatever, and ONLY do that one single task. When the timer goes off, I’m done with it, no matter what. Time to move on to something else. I do the same thing with my breaks. I set the timer for 10, 15, 30 minutes. I then concentrate on relaxing, and I don’t have to worry about when I start back up again - it’s already been decided.

TheJeffe Says:

January 18th, 2008, 12:29 pm

At work I often feel overwhelmed with the number of tasks I have. I solve this by making sure not to bring work home and be as efficient as possible at work. My wife and I try to go somewhere new every weekend. New is defined as someplace we have never been, big or small. Since I am trying to be perfect all the time I feel that it is good to set end point goals to know when you have completed something even if it is not perfect.

LiveLoaded.com Says:

January 19th, 2008, 14:12 pm

Leo - great post, but I’d like to take just a second to add that cultivating the ability to focus and concentrate totally on one subject at a time is a wonderful way to reduce your stress levels.

Learning how to concentrate to such a degree where you allow yourself to block out all external stimuli and thoughts helps produce the “flow” state everyone seems to be looking for in one way or another. And, correct me if I’m wrong (I’m not entirely educated on the topic of zen) but achieving this flow state, perhaps by some other name, is a core concept in zen practice.

Keep up the great writing,

Jason
Blog - Subliminal Success: The Intelligent Warrior
http://www.liveloaded.com

ITrush Says:

January 20th, 2008, 9:19 am

Take time off and unwind… great post!

nhick
http://www.itrush.com

Scramblejam Says:

January 21st, 2008, 12:19 pm

Great post Leo!

This came at just the right time for me - the day after I returned to work after 3 days ill - caused by, yes you guessed it… Feeling overwhelmed and having no time to recuperate.

I wrote Learn to Say “No” with a Cooling-off Period after being inspired by your post, as it is one of my main coping strategies.

Best of luck with the new Problogging career!

Darrell Says:

January 21st, 2008, 17:27 pm

Absolutely Spot On! We recommend to our workers to take a step back and to get their breath anytime they feel like they are losing control of a situation. You can not sell anything if you are overwhelmed, you can only cause deal breakers.

susie Says:

January 21st, 2008, 23:36 pm

Are these methods useful? maybe Chinese people know more about this, I read an article on tallhub.com last month, there I am looking for a dating. A member posted that article and most members really agree, and the author said he had ever been to China and learned much about this.

Alex Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 23:40 pm

If you suffer from information overload reading too much news and blogs, you can let a computer filter them for you so you only read the most interesting. I use http://tiinker.com and find that I spend a lot less time catching up in my feed reader, but still feel well-informed and happier.

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