Information overload is a growing problem that most of us face each and every day. Email, phone calls, voice mail, facebook notifications, and that doesn't include the endless flow of spam. However there's no reason all this constant communication can't be tamed and organized so that we don't feel the stress and anxiety associated with being under a waterfall of information.

While some may feel powerless in the face of technological change, resigned to the notion that all this email and information is necessary for their work or personal advancement, the reality is that the cost of our desire to always be connected is high and still growing.

For example the research firm Basex Inc examined the economic impact of information overload on the US economy, and their findings point to a steady growth from one year to the next. In 2005 the cost of information overload to the US economy was $588 billion dollars and in 2006 that figure grew to $650 billion.

Perhaps a more tangible way to articulate this cost is via a similar study conducted by Intel, which estimated that people on average lose 8 hours of every week to information overload.

While there may be subjective definitions as to what information overload is, most of these studies look at distraction and procrastination. We've all experienced attempts to sit down at the computer to work only to find ourselves wasting hours on Facebook and YouTube instead of our intended focus.

However I personally quite enjoy multi-tasking, to the extent that I require a basic level of distraction while working in order to focus. This might be music playing, CBC Newsworld on the TV, a chat room, or some kind of low level stimulation that distracts me from being distracted.

The issue is not so much focus, but rather overall volume. While this is true when it comes to general noise, and the extent to which we're bombarded by friends, colleagues, and advertisers desperately seeking our attention, I think it's also true when it comes to our email.

Email lies at the heart of the problem of information overload, as most people don't spend the time necessary to effectively organize and employ their email software/service. Whether a result of impatience, or laziness, this lack of knowledge translates into poor practice and a feeling of futility that arises from having no way to get ahead of the flood. Let alone when disaster strikes and the files are lost or the service is inaccessible and the dread of wasted work stirs the stomach.

I see this most often in the form of the cluttered inbox, the digital equivalent of the messy desk, except unlike the desk, the inbox seems to be able to grow with each addition, able to accommodate more mess with each work day. For some users this is a result of not knowing or choosing to use folders, for other its just a matter of not having the time to do more than read and reply.

Yet it's important with email to keep your inbox as clean as possible, and to use folders, and filters, to help keep it clean. I feel best when my inbox is under 40 messages, and when I can get it under 20, or even 10, I feel as if I'm staying ahead of that perpetual wave of information.

We take for granted proper email practices, yet the use of clear subject lines, and the avoidance of unnecessary verbosity, makes a huge difference in cutting down the time we spend on email, as well as our colleagues' time. The instant gratification of electronic messaging is intoxicating, but it pays to be patient, and not get into pestering people for a reply (or at least waiting a while before doing so).

Time management can also play an important role in managing email. For example, limiting the time spent on email, and resisting the urge to check while working on other things, helps foster an appreciation of keeping email organized.

The same is true with surfing the web in general. Budget your time, and if you have to or really want to monitor a lot of sites, organize them into an RSS reader that allows you to read multiple websites via a single interface. Services like Google Reader even have a social element that allows you to share your favourite items with your friends.

Another practice I've observed that contributes to information overload is the use of email and word documents for project management, when these technologies were not designed to be used in this way. Just because they are readily available, and used by just about everyone, doesn't mean it's the best medium for organizing. The engine behind the web 2.0 craze is the possibility to move beyond email and attachments to database driven web based applications.

Indeed there are hundreds of free and accessible web collaboration tools to choose from. One example are Wikis that allow for quick and easy collaborative authoring, in addition to excellent knowledge management and categorization capabilities. Another example is project management software that allows for organizing and assigning of tasks to be liberated from the email inbox, allowing companies, organizations, and even individuals to have online spaces for more efficient work and collaboration.

Information overload can be managed, however it takes discipline, self-control, and a willingness to learn new tools as the waves of information increase, as they inevitably do.

While developments in the field of artificial intelligence have focused on the idea of Intelligent Assistants, machines that will organize and sort all of our information, the reality is our consumption of information is so subjective, we each have our own ways of coping and getting ahead of it all. Google may be the most popular and successful example of artificial intelligence that aids in our organization of information, however the problem lies in the fact that machines only seam to increase the amount of information we have to deal with.

In this way devices like the Blackberry and iPhone that are supposed to help us organize our information, actually have us working 24/7 and 365, which means that the overload becomes so pervasive as to take over our entire lives.

Therefore the real solution to information overload is to make an effort to regularly take time off. Time away from the computer, and time away from work help us to develop perspective so that when we're back on the job we're more likely to focus on what it is we need to do. This might be as small as five minutes each hour, or a few hours each day, a small amount of time to spend on preserving your sanity. Regard this as an alternative to cultivating the sentiment that your computer and Internet connection are a ball and chain binding you to your machine masters.