Your Work E-mails Could Be Making You Sick

Can't handle the constant stream of e-mails at work? It could be making you sick.

Not too long ago, when (...I just had to attend a three-minute weekly meeting...) information at work needed to be communicated at a business, a paper memo was distributed to employees and maybe it generated a little talk around the water cooler. As we head into 2012, we're now surrounded by social media, instant messages, e-mail, smart phones, the internet, and more -- all of which are (...a co-worker of mine just walked in to ask me a question while I was typing this...) keeping us connected to work outside of the traditional 9-to-5 workday. Researchers say they are beginning to see an information disorder developing in people, attention fragmentation, and even (...another co-worker just walked in while I was typing this to ask me a question...) information rage.

A survey recently conducted by news.com.au found one in four people can't escape from work when not in the office, mostly due to smart phones (...I just replied to an e-mail from a co-worker...) bringing work e-mails into their homes. 30 percent of workers surveyed said they would love to boost their productivity at work by not being constantly interrupted at work; 25 percent of people wanted to see fewer meetings.

But how do you effectively and efficiently manage all of your communication at work? Some people suggest letting more calls go to voicemail (which will lead to the "did you get my voicemail?" e-mail) or only checking e-mail at certain times of the day (good luck with that). Experts say the best way to avoid stressing out at work is to just walk away from everything for a few minutes -- walk away from your (...a co-worker just walked in and asked if was busy blogging...) computer, leave your cell phone at your desk, and grab a breath of fresh air or a cup of coffee... and then you'll probably bump into a co-worker who will ask you about setting up a meeting to watch a Power Point presentation next week.