Leafy sees

Set Boundaries:

Establish clear boundaries around your digital activities.

Decide when and where to engage with digital media,

and take breaks regularly.

Limit Notifications:

Turn off notifications for apps and websites

not essential to your work or personal life.

This will reduce distractions and help you stay focused.

Filter Information:

 Use filters to reduce the amount of information

that you are exposed to.

This can include email filters, social media algorithms,

or browser extensions that block certain content types.

Use Visual Aids:

 Incorporate visual aids like diagrams, mind maps,

and charts to help organize complex information.

This can help to reduce the cognitive load

and make it easier to process.

Practice Mindfulness:

Stay present and aware of your thoughts and feelings

as you engage with digital media.

This can help you to notice

when you are feeling overwhelmed

and take action to reduce your cognitive load.

Take Breaks

: Give yourself time to step away from digital media

and engage in activities that don’t require mental effort,

such as exercise, meditation,

or spending time with friends and family.

Be Selective:

 Evaluate & Choose Quality Sources:

Are my Sources Relevant?

And limit exposure to low-quality or unreliable sources.

 This can help reduce the amount of irrelevant

or misleading information you are exposed to.

By practicing these strategies,

you can reduce the risk of semantic overload

and manage your cognitive load in the digital age.

Remember that your mental health is important

, and it’s up to you to take care of it

by being mindful of the amount

and quality of information you consume,

when to engage with digital media,

and taking breaks regularly.

Resources to read more on semantic overload

Little, J. J. (2010). Cognitive load theory and library research guides. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 15(1), 53-63.

Yildirim, C. (2017). The self-distracting mind in the digital age: Investigating the influence of a brief mindfulness intervention on mind wandering (Doctoral dissertation, Iowa State University).