"A typical information worker who sits at a computer all day turns to his e-mail program more than 50 times and uses instant messaging 77 times, according to one measure by RescueTime, a company that analyzes computer habits. The company, which draws its data from 40,000 people who have tracking software on their computers, found that on average the worker also stops at 40 Web sites over the course of the day.
The fractured attention comes at a cost. In the United States, more than $650 billion a year in productivity is lost because of unnecessary interruptions, predominately mundane matters, according to Basex. The firm says that a big chunk of that cost comes from the time it takes people to recover from an interruption and get back to work.
Companies are also realizing that there is money to be made in helping people reduce their digital gluttony. Major corporations around the world are searching for ways to keep software tools from becoming distractions, said John Tang, a researcher at I.B.M., who is a member of the new group."
Yes, like it or not, emails, iphones, Blackberries and mobile [cell] phones are here to stay - and forever, increasingly, destined to "intrude" into our lives in one way or another, especially at work.
Now, as the NY Times reports, large companies like Microsoft, Intel, Google and IBM are investigating how to staunch the onslaught - as you can read here.
The fractured attention comes at a cost. In the United States, more than $650 billion a year in productivity is lost because of unnecessary interruptions, predominately mundane matters, according to Basex. The firm says that a big chunk of that cost comes from the time it takes people to recover from an interruption and get back to work.
Companies are also realizing that there is money to be made in helping people reduce their digital gluttony. Major corporations around the world are searching for ways to keep software tools from becoming distractions, said John Tang, a researcher at I.B.M., who is a member of the new group."
Yes, like it or not, emails, iphones, Blackberries and mobile [cell] phones are here to stay - and forever, increasingly, destined to "intrude" into our lives in one way or another, especially at work.
Now, as the NY Times reports, large companies like Microsoft, Intel, Google and IBM are investigating how to staunch the onslaught - as you can read here.
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