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Today on Word of Mouth: Simplfy! Simplify! We take stock of the historic and present-day information tsunami and ask whether we can get ahead of it. We’ll meet a man who transformed a mountain of clutter into the fuel for productivity, and we throw down a challenge: could you pare your life down to just 100 items?

(Photo by Striatic)

Today on Word of Mouth, techno overload. Yes, technology has changed the speed and way we conduct business. But not everyone would say it’s become easier. With hundreds of unopened e-mails in the inbox, pop-up notices, RSS feeds, and text messages and phone calls competing for our attention, the tools designed for effiency are leaving us more distracted and less productive. Technology giants Intel, Google, IBM and others combined efforts to form a new non-profit organization called the Information Overload Research Group.

We’re joined by Matt Richtel, who reported on the digital deluge for The New York Times. He’s also the author of the conspiracy thriller Hooked, which deals with distraction and information addiction in the digital age.

We're also joined by Alex Wright, a writer and information architect who has led projects for The New York Times, Harvard University, IBM and others. His new book is Glut: Mastering Information through the Ages. Wright’s thorough tracking of the interaction between people and information illustrates that we are not the first generation to be caught up in "information overload." He says we are only now beginning to understand the information ecology that surrounds us.

(Photo by Sybren Stüvel)

Jason Fitzpatrick lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he's a contributor to Lifehacker, a website that provides tips and downloads for getting things done. He's also an English instructor at a local college, a technology specialist at FedEx, and a portrait and wedding photographer.

Given all those tasks, it’s no wonder that he has a hard time staying organized. So he decided to take on an extreme home office makeover. He joins Word of Mouth to discuss how changing his physical environment helped cut down on mental clutter.

You can read Jason's step-by-step guide to simplifying his office and see pictures of the process by clicking here.

(Photo by Jason Fitzpatrick)

Today we’re talking about information overload -- both virtually and physically. Dave Bruno runs the website Guy Named Dave, where he writes about his efforts to simplify his life by cutting down on his personal belongings. He’s given himself an ultimatum he calls the 100 Thing Challenge; He's trying to whittle his possessions down to a mere 100 items by November of next year. He joins us on Word of Mouth to talk about his efforts.

We’re also joined by Matt Richtel, who writes about technology and Silicon Valley for The New York Times. His book, Hooked, deals with distraction and information addiction in the digital age.

(Photo by Striatic)