The world is buzzing with noise. From the sound of our phones calling out a new text message to the announcement that we have “You’ve Got Mail”, which lets us know that we have yet another piece of information, the world buzzes about us. The phone rings, TV broadcasts commercials and admonishments and the radio drones endlessly on about the upcoming elections and Hollywood news. Information Overload Day reminds people that too much information can lead to a decrease in happiness and productivity.

A group of companies created Information Overload Day to raise awareness about the dangers of overloading customers and employees with too much information. Research shows that the overwhelming amount of information in our lives is actually affecting productivity. The average employee receives 93 emails per day.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you combine that with social media, which rules our lives. It is less clear, however, that these activities are having a significant economic impact. This is because they are used for business purposes and not personal.

Think about times when you are deep into a project when suddenly your email pings. You take the time to pause, review, and then reply. You need to take a few moments to refocus on your project before you can start again. These little pauses add up to $180 billion in economic impact. It is clear that something must be done.

Stop checking your email every single time it rings. To reduce the number of interruptions in your day, log out of your email client and log in five times per day. Turn off your phone’s ringer, vibration and vibrating, and use the same steps to respond to text messages and return calls. You’d be amazed at how productive you can be if these interruptions are eliminated from your day. Information Overload Day is about controlling the amount of information that you receive and limiting its flow when it’s necessary.