Information Overload ... Help

[Minas Tirith]

Hello to all,

I discovered the Cassiopeian website roughly a year ago, posted a couple of times and read the Wave series up to Vol.7.

Then I moved (continents) six weeks ago and have not been back to the site since then. Now I feel completely overwhelmed - there are a couple of new books out, a lot of information about a new book coming soon - a new perspective on Stoicism, how the Handl-thing ties in there and the Mithras cult ... I tried to catch up yesterday as much I could - but couldn't :( How is it all connected?

Apart from that I am completely behind with the diet and will never catch up on the "Life without Bread" thread ...

What do you recommend to a person with limited time ... Or: How do YOU do it? I guess that you all have jobs, many might have kids (I don't even have any) and other things to tend to. Do you read in the night? Early early morning?

Any ideas are appreciated ...

Thanks, EmmeYa

 

[webglider]

quote from EmmeYa:

Now I feel completely overwhelmed - there are a couple of new books out, a lot of information about a new book coming soon - a new perspective on Stoicism, how the Handl-thing ties in there and the Mithras cult ... I tried to catch up yesterday as much I could - but couldn't :( How is it all connected?

Put your mind to rest EmmeYa, you will never "catch up" because there is always tons of new information everyday. Some people have dealt with the volume of material presented on this site by learning how to speed read.

For myself, I usually delve deeply into the topics in which I am interested. There are some threads of which I do not have the background to understand. Sometimes I'll make a point of reading them anyway,and sometimes it's fruitful to do so, and sometimes it isn't.

In terms of it being all connected, it seems to me that the more you know, the more connections you can make for yourself. You can then bring the connections you've made to the forum and ask for feedback.

The phrase : "Learning is Fun" is one that is often made here. It really helps to approach the information here with an attitude such as this. You are learning for your own self development, your own evolution. Once you do this for yourself, you can help others. osits.

 

[Carl]

Put your mind to rest EmmeYa, you will never "catch up" because there is always tons of new information everyday. Some people have dealt with the volume of material presented on this site by learning how to speed read.

For myself, I usually delve deeply into the topics in which I am interested. There are some threads of which I do not have the background to understand. Sometimes I'll make a point of reading them anyway,and sometimes it's fruitful to do so, and sometimes it isn't.

In terms of it being all connected, it seems to me that the more you know, the more connections you can make for yourself. You can then bring the connections you've made to the forum and ask for feedback.

The phrase : "Learning is Fun" is one that is often made here. It really helps to approach the information here with an attitude such as this. You are learning for your own self development, your own evolution. Once you do this for yourself, you can help others. osits.

I agree with this, it's no use getting anxious about it. The way I handle it is just by going with the flow. If you read out of anxiety or pressure you will take in much less, you will be more easily distracted, and end up reading slower. Just ponder what you're currently interested in, and go from there. The universe has a way of guiding you to whatever information is beneficial if you pay attention. If during reading I get the urge to put down the book and pick up another, then I just do it, and always find something pertinent or very interesting. Learning is fun :)

 

[Cyre2067]

Hi EmmeYa,

I wouldn't try to 'catch up', simply engage with the topics that resonate with you. I'm constantly self-reflecting and trying to get to know me, so I tend to follow the threads that are personal since the feedback given on one person can easily apply to myself and others. I also enjoy history, so I read through the stoicism thread to get an new perspective on the history of Gurdjieff's teachings... I think diet and health are important so I keep up with that.

Just do a little bit at a time when you're feeling up to it. If you've eliminated dairy/wheat and cut down on your sugar intake you're already doing leaps and bounds for your health. Really it's up to the individual to determine where he or she directs their attention, don't beat yourself up for 'not doing it all' because there's no reason for any one person to 'do it all', that's what the network is for.

Take a deep breath and relax and don't let the sheer volume of information overwhelm you and if you have a question, ask.

:)

 

[mcb]

...
What do you recommend to a person with limited time ... Or: How do YOU do it? I guess that you all have jobs, many might have kids (I don't even have any) and other things to tend to. Do you read in the night? Early early morning?

Any ideas are appreciated ...

Thanks, EmmeYa

Do what you can, and look for specific areas/topics in which you can be more involved.

I have a job where I can take brief breaks to look in on the Forum and make short posts, or read/post on FaceBook. Sometimes I am waiting for something to finish, and sometimes I just need to think about something different for a few minutes.

On some weekends and workdays before or after work I can also spend time here and write longer posts. Sometimes I just have to let the forum take care of itself until I can get back to it. :)

 

[Laura]

I always click the "view the most recent posts" thing and see what's "hot". I check that out. Don't want to be out of the loop on what everyone else is talking about! Then I go to those topics that interest me particularly.

 

[FrankM4326754]

I agree, you should not cause yourself anxiety over trying to "catch up". In all reality reading and learning should be fun. Take it at your own pace. I typically try to read in the afternoon or evening right before I go to sleep. It gives me topics that are important to think about and try to completely understand or conceptualize before I retire for the night.

 

[zulhelmi]

Hi EmmeYa, I discovered this website last year too. I sometimes feel anxious too about 'catching up' with the forum and the books. I ordered many of the recommended books and they are all lined up on my bookshelves waiting to be read. It helps to remind me to always find 'time' and focus. Thanks to the forum, my lifestyle and diet has changed too which helps me to find more 'time' to read. I bought an iPad (kindle is unavailable in my country) and I took it everywhere so that I can always check on Sott news and the forum by clicking "view the most recent posts". I realized that I can read faster on books and iPad than on a pc because it's also less strenuous for the eyes.

 

[ocean59]

I always click the "view the most recent posts" thing and see what's "hot". I check that out. Don't want to be out of the loop on what everyone else is talking about! Then I go to those topics that interest me particularly.

This was my thought as well, and this is also how I keep current with the discussions here most of the time.

Also, if there is something really important you've missed, it will undoubtedly be referenced in another post, as a link you can click. That happens quite frequently here. If there is a breakthrough, so to speak, the discussion of this will extend into many other discussions. So, follow your instincts, and read and click away!

 

[mcb]

I always click the "view the most recent posts" thing and see what's "hot". I check that out. Don't want to be out of the loop on what everyone else is talking about! Then I go to those topics that interest me particularly.

This was my thought as well, and this is also how I keep current with the discussions here most of the time.
...

That is how I catch up with the ones for which the "Notify" email messages are lost!

Added: By the way, I find it useful to bookmark "View most recent posts" in my browser.

 

[Seppo Ilmarinen]

quote from EmmeYa:

Now I feel completely overwhelmed - there are a couple of new books out, a lot of information about a new book coming soon - a new perspective on Stoicism, how the Handl-thing ties in there and the Mithras cult ... I tried to catch up yesterday as much I could - but couldn't :( How is it all connected?

Put your mind to rest EmmeYa, you will never "catch up" because there is always tons of new information everyday. Some people have dealt with the volume of material presented on this site by learning how to speed read.

There is also speed reading tools that you can use to practise this skill. One that I found is this http://accelareader.com/
Just copy paste there anything you are reading online and you can at the same practice your speed reading skills.

 

[Minas Tirith]

Thanks for all your suggestions - much appreciated!

I didn't even know a function "View Recent Posts" existed ... and the idea to bookmark it, is great, too.
I consider myself a pretty fast reader - but only with printed book material, funnily not with stuff online ...
It seems to be something with my eyes, they get tired very quickly ...
With an Ipad that would be the same, right? (Just asking because so many people seem to use it for longer and longer times).

Would you say that (apart from the things I am personally interested in) there are topics that are on top of the list?
Sometimes I wish that there would be short introductions or summaries, but I guess these days new material is being added daily ...
For example the Asteroid subject, I have no idea where to start ...

Thank you,
EmmeYa

 

[Tigersoap]

For example the Asteroid subject, I have no idea where to start ...

Hi EmmeYa,

For what it's worth I'd recommand that you read "The Apocalypse: Comets, Asteroids and Cyclical Catastrophes" because it's just great and summarize a lot of stuff. I don't know if you have a kindle but it works great for me, you can adjust the font size, it's easy on the eyes and not too expensive either.

 

[xandra]

Thank you for this post. I have felt the same way. I want very much to keep up with every thing and often feel like I don't have enough information to post. I use my phone to keep up with Sott.net and the forum, and my kindle for books. I can do this anywhere I happen to be. So, I am reading every chance I get. I would also like to thank everyone for their feedback, it has given me inspiration to just keep trucking on as best I can. I have felt such overwhelming gratitude to all here involved, especially Laura for having the courage to do what she has done. Xandra

 

[Cleo]

I also get this overwhelming and anxious feeling as well. There are a lot of interesting threads and books on here to read and I have a tendency to start reading a thread and then after a bit, also get interested in another and start reading it-but not making it through the entire thread. I have a way of reading books that way too. I think I may start making a note where in the thread I left off so that I find my place again more efficiently. The 'view the most recent posts' link has also been helpful with keeping up on topics. Thanks for the post and for others feedback as I can definitely relate and it helps to be reminded that a helpful attitude to approach the material with is one of- learning is fun. :)