By Elaine Gast Fawcett, Four Winds Writing, Inc.

E-mails, texts, and voicemails to answer. Links to follow. Comments to read. Tags, posts, feeds, filters, usernames, and passwords. We navigate a dizzying amount of information every day, and it takes work to manage this connectedness. Plus, it’s hard to pull away from the allure of a lighted screen and the promise of something new.

In the face of today’s constant flow of information, here are six small but meaningful changes you can make to keep your productivity high and your spirits happy.

• Define what balance means to you. Take a few moments to answer these questions in writing: I know I am out of balance when… (e.g., I’m not able to find time to reflect, or go for a run, or cook for myself.) I know I am in balance when… Now compare the two. Notice the times when you feel in balance. How can you spend more time in that space?
• Use technology tools to moderate and manage. There are plenty of tools and apps to help you manage distraction and even schedule time to relax. You can track your computer use at TimeDoctor.com. Or set up an online Mindfulness Bell, which reminds you to take a break. You can turn off your e-mail, text, and Facebook alerts. You might use Outlook to block 30 minutes of time for yourself. Or you can set up inbox filters to block or manage nonessential e-mails.

• Write balanced to-do lists. At the beginning of the day, list everything you have to, and want to, get done. Include all your work, family, and personal responsibilities, and also include at least two self-care items just for you. At the end of the day, cross off what you got done, and notice your choices—what you made a priority, and what you didn’t. Then adjust your behaviors going forward to bring yourself more into balance.
• Set boundaries. Decide when to access information (e.g., certain days, times, or places), and when not to. Balance is about choice, and it’s okay to sometimes say no.
• Batch your tasks. Maybe you only check e-mail at certain times each day. Or you screen your calls. You can alert people to your schedule by using an auto-responder, or just trust that they’ll understand when your response comes a few hours later.
• Above all, keep your perspective. Keep perspective on what you’ll be grateful for in the future, because that will help you make better choices in the present. At the end of the year (or quarter or month), what will have made me the most happy? Will it be an empty inbox, a growing number of Twitter followers, or something very different? 

In the end, finding balance isn’t so much about how connected or disconnected you are from information. It’s about being intentional in how and when you connect, and why. Remember that, even in this ever- demanding digital world, you have the power to decide—and act on—what’s best for you.

Read the full article in our quarterly publication, Essentials, and also published to PhilanthropyWriting.com.

Elaine Gast Fawcett helps foundations tell their story, educate their stakeholders, and move their mission forward. For 12 years, she has worked nationally to strengthen the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors as a communications and grantmaking consultant. She blogs at PhilanthropyWriting.com, and you can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @4WindsWriting.