If the answer's yes, you'll be pleased to know Microsoft's trying to do something about it. The company's developed a tool called 'Snarf' - Social Network and Relationship Finder - to sort out your inbox out by sender and make judgements from past contacts whether the mail is of high or low priority.

At the moment, it's still a 'basic' prototype, but Microsoft believes the "socially savvy" Snarf will eventually stop users wasting so much time wading through the e-mail mire.