Is it possible to have too much information? This is a question I've personally been struggling with lately. As a full-time business writer and small business owner, it's my job to be up to date with the goings on in the business marketplace. To do this, I subscribed to the Wall Street Journal, made the New York Times my homepage on my web browser (and also read through the online versions of the Washington Post and San Diego Union-Tribune each day), and closely monitored the Business Week, Inc. magazine, and Fast Company websites. The result? I spent far more time reading about what was going on out there in the world than writing about it. I was suffering a chronic case of information overload.

So a couple of weeks ago I put myself on an information diet. I let my subscription to the Wall Street Journal lapse (let me tell you, that was a VERY painful thing to do!), I removed the New York Times and Washington Post from my browser, and I can no longer be found lurking in all those business websites I used to frequent. At the same time, I have begun a concerted search for perhaps one or two key sources of information that will keep me up to date with what I need to do my job and not spend hour after hour getting tangled up in stories that are fascinating to read (banking meltdown in Iceland!, big flood in China! General Motors in hot water with the feds!), but ultimately have no direct bearing on my work.

It's definitely possible to have too much information -- especially in today's hyperconnected media and Internet world. The secret is to become a very selective user of that information -- to spend your precious time on only the things that directly impact your business and your life. Anything else is a waste of time. And money.