Essential Seven Skills for an Information Worker

I define Information Worker as a person using computer for accomplishing his/her work. Hence it is imperative for an information worker to know how to use computer. Here is my list of skills that an information worker must have to use computer effectively and efficiently.

1. Communicating using email and instant messaging
2. Using word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software
3. Finding trustworthy information on internet
4. Tracking todos/calendar
5. Organizing digital documents and multimedia files
6. Having information security awareness
7. Managing information overload

Your comments please!

Book Review: Bit Literacy

For some books, sub-title describes the contents better than the title. This book is one of them. The sub-title of this book is "Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload". Indeed, this book describes quite a few useful tools and techniques for enhancing productivity of an information worker. Particularly, the technique for managing email overload is quite useful and I have started practicing it. If you wish to know this technique then please read this article.

Article Summary: Recovering from information overload

In this article, authors argue that multitasking is not a solution for addressing information overload. They have cited various studies to make a point that always-on, multitasking work environments are killing productivity, dampening creativity, and making us unhappy. Their advice to executives is simple: use some combination of focusing, filtering, and forgetting to tackle information overload.

Title: Recovering from information overload
Authors: Derek Dean and Caroline Webb
Source: January 2011 issue of McKinsey Quarterly (available at https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Recovering_from_information_overload_2735)