In these modern times, you may be suffering from a glut of information. The odds are that you are using a lot of computer programs to get your work done. You could be using:

• Word to write your letters
• Access to get results from a database
• Excel to crunch numbers
• Outlook to check your mail (probably a few times a day)
• PowerPoint to make your presentations
• Internet explorer or FireFox to browse the web and do research
• Any proprietary software that your company uses for any number of things from inventory tracking to running sales reports to calculating production numbers.
• An instant messenger to keep you in contact with colleagues on the road.

You can see how clutter piles up quickly. The solution to clutter is obvious. You have to break it up somehow. That somehow is virtual workspaces. According to PC World, "with multiple workspaces comes the ability to organize the desktop environment freely, either by task, by application type, by priority, or any other way you care to slice it. It's particularly handy for keeping a handful of apps out of sight and out of mind, without having to shut them down."

This light bulb over the head originally comes to us from the land of Linux. They have had this feature for several years. It was also recently integrated into Apple's newest operating system, Leopard.

I know none of that helps you get the virtual workspaces on your Windows machine right now, but there is software that can give you the features that you crave and that everyone else seems to have.

Well, from here we are going to have to break you up into teams. All you Vista users go stand on the left and XP users come to the right.

Ok, now that we have all had our flashback to high school gym class, find the section below for your software and create your own virtual desktops on your computer. You may also want to take a few seconds to be relieved that I won't be breaking you up into "shirts" and "skins".

For XP-users Eyes only

You have it easy here. All you have to do is download a copy of the Microsoft virtual desktop manager and install as per their directions. Then set up and use as per the program tutorial. Quick and easy and free. You can get a copy here.)

For Vista-users Eyes only

Sadly, unlike your XP cousins you don't have a Microsoft made plug-in waiting in the wings. You have to use a third-party software which means potential cost. But I wouldn't let you do that - not when there is a quality, free option out there. The best of the freebies is called Dexpot which you can install and then set up/use as per the directions that come from the programmer.

Now you can have your email in one desktop, that online game you're trying to resist in another, and your documents in a 3rd, all ready to appear or disappear completely as needed. Get things moving.