[Mind Hacks] Psychiatrist Edward Hallowell studies attention deficit disorder (ADD) and is becoming increasingly concerned that using information technology is causing an acquired form of the condition.

I’m not surprised, actually. With the sheer volume of information overload that I experience daily from email, instant messages, SMS text messages and blogs, I can certainly understand the concern.

A few months back, I implemented a strict new rule system in Outlook: Only emails directly to me stay in the Inbox. Otherwise, they get sorted into various folders which I can quickly scan later in the day using Outlook’s Search Folders. This has made a huge difference, and I’ve been able to keep my Inbox below 15 emails regularly.

Other minor tweaks: My MSN Messenger status is always set to Busy when I’m at work. Why? Because I’m busy. If it’s urgent, ding me. If I answer, then I have 20 seconds.