Facebook is driving me crazy

So - I'm not sure what i need to do, but I know that facebook is overwhelming me in the same way as my email account was.
With the email, I came up with the great solution of - if I want to find it, I will bookmark it and go and look for it when I want it - events, etc...Add a bookmark to the 'things to do' folder. whammo. done.

no more annoying emails. well, less.

because I want my email to be about concrete interaction with people I actually know - keeping in touch with people.

Facebook has never been about that. It's been for finding people.

then it became about finding out what people are doing, and being invited to things.

then it became about playing stupid games(that lasted about a week)

and then it became about adding myself to every group imaginable so I could be a part of everything and feel really special and knowledgable, even if I don't really ever leave the house.

And well, NOW,

It's this overwhelming -"I-have-244-messages and 60 requests (once it got to 500)

and I'm not responding to people and I'm ignoring everything I get on there" Sort of thing.

UGH.

Sigh.

So I need to scale back. add people that I want to interact with in facebook ways.

and which ways are those?

- messaging people....nope - I have email for that (but some people won't email me - well, they're assholes.)

- sending silly games

- sharing pictures - maybe?

- being cool because people can see me on there with everyone else, see my friends list

- being available for people to find me if they want me.

- invitations for events. - YES, but from friends

- to read people's one-line updates. keep up-to-date easily.

- stay in touch with and support causes? better done in real life

invitations only

not pictures

address book/finding people

action:

delete account? no

Step 1 - get off groups that aren't people-i-know related (invitations from friends only - not groups. )

Step 2 - Change email notifications for invitations and friend requests only.

Step 3- Create friends lists for different groups - people I really care about (Family, Close Friends) I will check up on more.

Step 4 - tell everyone to email me if they want to keep in touch, that I will get email notifications for invitations only.

Step 5 - Check up on people(if I'm not emailing them) once in a while to see what's new. Use facebook as a datamine for email content and connection

I think I will need to post something to explain my thinking about all this - what's the point of knowing what's going on in someone's life if you never talk to them?? EMAIL ME>