We have all heard the term "information overload" and I'm sure we all have experienced it. But, what about the "underload" of information? That email we never read, those magazines we tossed in the trash, those conferences we were always going to attend? Think in terms of the valuable information/insights you are missing.

The average person receives thousands of sound bytes of information a day. We can't possibly assimilate all of them. However, how can sift though the masses and not miss important insights about jobs, careers or business?

Here are a couple of tips to consider to keep informed and discontinue missing important information that could affect your future.

Open all of your snail mail. Many important pieces of information now arrive in innocuous looking envelops. They are disguised to keep them from being opened by the wrong person. The problem is that we can't differentiate the important stuff from the junk. Therefore, it's best to check. More than once, I have been ready to toss something important.

Let all your associates and members of your business circle know that you want them to identify their email in the subject line so that you will open it. I never open unknown sender or no subject emails. Although I'm sure, some of them are perfectly legitimate.

Read your spam subject headers before you delete. Many time spam filters will move perfectly acceptable email to the spam folder. Make sure to set your filter to allow toss addresses that you want to receive mail from too.

Set news alerts for important events and items you want to keep track of. Read the headline to determine if they are worthy of a further look. Most search engines allow you to set an unlimited number of alerts. They will deliver the headlines to your in box.

Read the TOC of all mags. See if there are articles you want to read. Tear them out and toss the rest. As an alternative, check the mags website and subscribe to its weekly e-zine that covers the major news events.

Look at conference brochures way in advance to set your schedule and determine if it's worth the trip. Conferences are scheduled so far in advance they allow plenty of time to clear your schedule to attend.

These are just a few ideas and short cuts on how to keep in the loop on current insights and news that could dramatically influence your future. Don't be guilty information underload. Be proactive when it comes to your business or career -- not reactive.

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