Solo Practice

Information Overload

By Garrett Worley

Not surprisingly, information overload is one of the biggest problems faced by a solo or small firm practitioner. From e-mails and phone calls to research and files, the sheer volume of information that passes across an attorney’s desk each day is astounding. There has been no shortage of technology designed to organize information, but if not put to proper use, the latest technological marvel becomes yet another source of information overload.

E-mail has been one of the worst offenders over the years. Law.com reports that as much as 75% of all e-mail received is spam. That can be handled (for the most part) with a simple spam filter. Spam filters don’t come close to solving the problem entirely, however. There’s a good chance that much of your legitimate e-mail contains useless information. These are the types of e-mails that come from opt-in subscription newsletters and the like. Unless these e-mail newsletters are usually helpful in the day-to-day operations of your practice, it might be best to remove yourself from the subscription list. (There are usually alternative means to access the same information, such as RSS feeds or simply visiting the site when you have time.)

The most effective information organization strategy is to combine information from all sources into a single repository. There are a number of creative ways to do this, from iPhones to personal wikis. The important thing is to learn how the technology can simplify information processing. If you don’t fully understand how to use the technology, it might only exacerbate the information overload you already face.

Full post as published by Garrett Worley's Blawg on January 20, 2008 (boomark / email).