FOREWORD

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT AGAINST INFORMATION BLOAT

In this book, Jonathan Spira addresses the problem of Information Overload and our own responsibilities for it. But this isn’t just a question of “don’t spam.” People usually create content with some purpose in mind. Sometimes it’s just self-aggrandizement, in which case this book is not for you.

But if you’re sending messages without getting a response, maybe you aren’t thinking enough about the recipient. If you do so, you’ll get more done with less effort and more control . . . because thinking about the recipients helps you determine what actually gets into their heads.

Take how I came to write this foreword. Jonathan had sent me an e-mail politely asking me to write a few notes for his book. In reply, he got this plaintive away message from me: “staving off e-mail bankruptcy: I am traveling and my deferred message liability is around 4000. I’m hoping to work my way through this, but please don’t expect a reply until December 31 or worst case December 32!”