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"Why does the dog wag his tail?" asked Robert De Niro in the movie Wag the Dog. "Because the dog is smarter than the tail. If the tail were smarter than the dog, the tail would wag the dog." This raises a similar question in the context of technology: Are we running technology or is technology running us?

We're all getting more and more wired into our technological tools — tools that we claim help improve personal productivity. In July, I wrote a feature, Dealing with Information Overload, that discussed how we can improve the manner in which we manage our intranet content. Since then I've read numerous articles stating the issue of information overload is greatly exaggerated — statements made mostly by those in the software industry (surprise, surprise) — and that people just need better written software. But is this really the answer?

While software, when used properly, can do a great deal to enhance and compliment our own underlying abilities to organize and digest information, is it really be the panacea software vendors are claiming? I don't think so. Poorly written software can be the culprit for some of our inefficiencies, but that's a very narrow view. We need to look at the bigger picture: Firstly, our over reliance on technology as a substitute for abilities that should be inherent in us. And secondly, the almost obsessive need to be "plugged in."

Simply blaming current technology — or using it as a scapegoat — is avoiding the real problem. The question shouldn't be so much “is technology doing it's job?”, it should be “are we allowing technology to wag the dog?” I believe that many people suffering from information overload are allowing technology to run them rather than the other way around. More technology isn't always the answer, no matter how well written or developed. To borrow from another movie, Soylent Green: Productivity is people.

Personal Unproductivity

Powering up my home office is like powering up NASA's Mission Control. High-speed modem, check; printer and fax, check; cell phone, check; PC, check; primary and secondary external hard disk drives, check; coffee machine, check. We are go for launch. With all this, my friend still asks, "Why don't you get a BlackBerry?" (or what some refer to affectionately as a CrackBerry for its addictive qualities).

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Think for a moment about how many times a day you break your train of thought or stop what you're working on to check your e-mail, answer voicemail, Google something insignificant, or check an online news site. I must admit that I've been guilty of all these productivity infractions in the past — and most of the times I wasn't even aware that I was doing it. It just naturally happened because it was there. I can even recall some instances where I interrupted my interruptions. I'll be in the middle of writing an article when my e-mail client chimes in with an interesting story from a BBC newsfeed. I would spend a few minutes reading it and then forward the story to several colleagues and friends who might also find the piece interesting. Within an hour an e-mail debate or conversation would break out, giving me another story idea. I'd start jotting down notes and possible research sources when it clicks: my original article is still sitting in my taskbar.

When I finally realized that I needed to return to what I was originally working on, it took me forever to get the rhythm going again. And all that time spent "getting back into the groove" is unproductive time. I was wasting time trying to get back to the point I was at originally — that's the true definition of moving backwards.

According to Dr. Donald Wetmore — the creator of the Productivity Institute and a 30-year veteran in the field of personal productivity and time management — the average person is interrupted once every eight minutes. Eighty percent of these interruptions are rated as having little-to-no value, creating approximately three hours of wasted time per day.

But that was then. Now I no longer feel the need to read every piece of information that comes my way when I get it, or to answer non-emergency e-mails immediately. If I'm in the middle of something important and the phone rings, I let it ring and allow voicemail to take care of it. I schedule three times during the work day — the morning, just before lunch, and at the end of the day — in which to address my non-critical e-mail and catch up on news. Now I find that I'm getting almost twice as much done. Why? Because I changed the way I worked. I came to recognize my biggest time guzzlers and learned how to manage all the information coming at me from every direction.

Time management and personal productivity is a behavioral process; no software can teach you this. Technology is there to help you improve your own efficiency; it's not there to become a substitute.

Causes of Personal Unproductivity and Information Overload
Internal Causes	External Causes
Obsessive need to be "plugged in" such as constantly checking e-mail or calling office Poor attention span and lack of focus Rampant multitasking and the inability to prioritize tasks	Constant interruptions by colleagues (either in person, by phone, or e-mail) Poorly structured and/or repetitive content Counterintuitive software that doesn't conform to the natural way in which humans function

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