Researchers are warning the continued rise in email use could soon produce more messages than we can cope with.
The International Data Corporation's latest report predicts 60 billion will be sent every day by 2006.
Its author suggests firms need to do more to address the continued upsurge, particularly in the volume of spam.
Mark Levitt said: "Email has the potential to fill our workdays, overwhelming our abilities to navigate through the growing currents of content."
He says technology that streamlines customers' access to important and time-sensitive email is urgently needed.
He added only a more effective means of filtering out spam would "ensure that email continues to be a valuable business and personal communications tool."
The report puts the current daily email count at 31 billion.