Of course, you really don't have time for this, but...

As long as you're here, please add your own examples of how the "overload" is affecting your life. ... and which kinds of overload?
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VARIETY OF OVERLOADS:
-Message Overload (How many kinds of messages do you check daily? hourly?)
-Information Overload
-Options Overload (Too many attractive, viable choices!)
-Expectations Overload (Gilbert's Law: "Expectations grow faster than resources.")
-"I can't keep up with my _______" Overload (You fill in the blank)
...More.... ????

Symptoms of Overload

"I have to take a day off and stay home tomorrow. I really need to get some work done."

3 Helpful Steps

Mark Milliron describes several important sources of our "Overload" and suggests 3 useful, practical steps:
1. Turn off the automatic download function in your e-mail program.
2. Choose the least distracting notifications (if any at all)— for your hand-held multi-function cell phone + device
3. If you bring your laptop to a meeting, decide in advance HOW and WHY you will use it and don't let yourself be distracted into using it for other purposes.

See: "Pavlovian Problems" at http://catalyticconversations.blogspot.com/

"Surrounded by pigeons?" - Indicators, Dashboards for THE OVERLOAD

[Suggested by Rebecca Kurtz, the TLT Group, 11-1-2005]

Imagine a sequence of pictures as described below. Pick the one that best reflects your current situation or state of mind. This is your personal Overload Indicator.

Would it be a good idea for each of us to display our own symbol so that others would know how we were coping with the Overload?
How often should we update these displays? Weekly? Hourly? Continuously?

OVERLOAD INDICATORS - CHOOSE ONE

- Busily, happily, walking down the street; cheerfully and confidently taking a break out-of-doors; probably on the way to get back to work at a job you love, where you are making frequent, much-appreciated contributions ...

- Busily walking by a tall building - not noticing others standing on window ledges high above, others climbing out of windows onto the ledges, ...

- Standing on the ground, looking up at a tall building, perhaps about to enter the main door ...

- Standing in a room near the top floor of a tall building ...

- Standing in a room, next to the window, poised to climb out the window and onto the ledge ...

- Standing on a window ledge, surrounded by pigeons, near the top of a tall building ...

- Someone talking you down, back from the ledge ...

- Leaping off that ledge ...

- Falling past several floors "So far so good!" - but looking for a parachute ...

- Splat [Can you call for a "do over"!?]

Solutions? Useful advice? Resources?

[When I get a little more time - heh, heh - I'll add a link here to another blog where we can collect solutions - or, at least, helpful advice!]

E-Mail Serenity Prayer

God grant me the Serenity to accept the e-mails I cannot get to,
the Time to answer the ones I should,
and the Wisdom to know the difference

From Mark Milliron's blog:
http://catalyticconversations.blogspot.com/2006/04/e-mail-serenity-prayer.html