See you soon, computer…
Have you ever felt bogged down or overwhelmed while performing computer tasks involving research and information gathering? Dealing with temptation is not easy. Moreover, the never-ending sushi conveyor belts we face when we google something excite our reflexes. one More websites out of fear of making mistakes by not considering all option.
The “one more time” fallacy.
The psychological desire to see just one more link during an investigation is exploited by Instagram’s infinite scroll feature and Netflix’s autoplay feature (which starts the next episode as soon as you’ve finished watching the last). It is the same as the natural tendency of human beings to This can be partly explained by the variable ratio reinforcement schedule. It’s a fancy way of saying that it’s easy to get addicted to something that has the potential to be unpredictable with great rewards. Never underestimate the power of a burst of dopamine released when you expect it.
The ubiquity of analysis paralysis.
Even the simplest task you try to perform online can turn into a full-blown meltdown. Suppose you are buying a rug online. How hard would that be? A quick Google search for “best, cheapest, most beautiful rugs, free shipping” leads to Wayfair.just one there is a website thousands of rugs You can filter by shape, size, color, pattern, thickness, and 20 other rug characteristics you never knew existed, but if your dog pees a week after purchase, it doesn’t matter anymore. Even when I gave up and decided to consider another of her websites, it only exacerbated the overselection problem I had at the beginning. According to a well-known study of consumer choice, consumers are far less likely to purchase a product when presented with 24 options than when presented with 6 options. thousand.
The problem of having too many choices doesn’t just happen when you’re shopping online. For example, when researching for a blog post, you may start with an idea that leads you to search for studies that show evidence for your idea. When you open a study, it inevitably contains links to other cited studies that are very intriguing, so click on those as well. Before you know it, the top of the screen looks like it’s experimenting to see how slow you can slow down your browser.
what can we do
Here are three quick tips you can put into practice to keep your computer stress-free.
1. Note the number of tabs.
Set a limit on the number of tabs you keep open at once. Three to five is a good rule of thumb, but also listen to yourself and note how many tabs you can open before you start feeling existential anxiety. This is your cue to start closing the tab. The number varies from person to person based on their personal threshold of being overwhelmed with information, but generally the fewer tabs you open, the better.
2. Mine information and finish mining immediately.
…mining relevant information on each tab and committing to closing it. I often keep tabs open because of the sense of loss aversion of fear of losing information. Don’t be trapped in mines for the illusion of expected loss. Remember, once you find it, you can easily find it in your search history or another search. It might take longer than leaving the tab open, but it might save you money. Precious time that would have been wasted shifting attention from one tab to another. Research shows that a significant amount of time is lost in the migration and startup costs of switching from one task to another.
3. Complete the project.
Practice finishing work to the end. Setting rules and time limits for completing tasks helps you make faster decisions. Remember that every time you switch tasks, you incur an initial cost. This is the difference between starting a fire and keeping the flame going and having to put it out and rekindle the flame from the beginning. In addition, every time you practice focusing on a task until it is completed, you not only reward yourself with a sense of accomplishment and closure, but you also reward yourself with a mental attitude that will enable you to make decisions and complete tasks in a timely manner in the future. build strength.
Start practicing these skills to improve your focus, productivity, and relationship with technology.
