The impact of information overload can be deadly to a good idea, a budding project, or action that should be pushing you toward your goal. Information overload in the workplace is a common complaint for many professionals today, as data-driven decisions become ever more important.

But how do we restrict the impact of information overload – commonly known as analysis paralysis – and reduce its negative effects on our brains’ processing capacity? Because that’s what’s at the base of this problem: too much information to deal with and too little processing. Over thinking leads to sitting on the fence and you wind up staying in the same place.

Ever feel like you’re spending all of your time responding to emails, tweets, or notifications? Ever begin on a project and get so bogged down with all the data that you end up doing nothing?

Then it’s time to address your problem!

To avoid analysis paralysis, we need to implement certain actions. Here are a few suggestions on how to overcome the impact of information overload in the workplace and bring your ideas to fruition.

1) Be critical. Question the sources of your information and interrogate the biases. Is it balanced and factual? Does the information you’re looking at seem to have an agenda or ulterior motive? If so, move on.

2) Use tools to distill information so that you present the data in the way you best understand. On a paper pad or stored safely in the cloud. It’s your choice.

3) Ask for feedback. Use a group to interrogate your conclusions. If you were suffering from information overload in the workplace then you certainly shouldn’t be now.

Organizations and entrepreneurs need to be able to synthesize and act on huge amounts of information. Those who are best able to avoid analysis paralysis are those who flourish. By implementing some of the rules I suggest in this video, you should be able to deal with today’s challenges a little better.