The Technological Wasteland

Hold on a second, I can't write this update because I've got an important email to read first. Wait, my cell phone is ringing! Okay, here we go.

Does that sound familiar? The inevitable technological bombarding that happens on a daily basis that prevents us from tending to…life? Being distracted is a nuisance, but for some, it’s an all-out affliction that requires medical attention.

Scientists and doctors are calling it “chronic procrastination,” and it is thought to affect one out of every four people, as opposed to one in twenty decades earlier. When you do the math, those simple email notification sounds are suspected to be causing a loss of $70 billion dollars a year! Suddenly, wasting time via distractions is a pretty expensive nuisance.

The effects of procrastination should not be taken lightly: it can lead to putting off doctor appointments, lower self-esteem on account of not getting enough done or not coming through for people and can invariably lead to depression. One easy way to get past this is to turn everything off and declare an electronic moratorium for at least 24 hours, but that's easier said than done!

How do you get organized with so many factors affecting your success in doing so? Do you have any strategies for countering this army of technological distractions? [The Observer UK]