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Distracted

Technology, especially the computer and Internet, have greatly improved my life. It has become so much a part of my day-to-day that I don't really even think about how much my life is enhanced and improved by the Internet. I believe this is likely true for all of you out there in cyberworld as well.

There is a downside I've been thinking a lot about recently. Distraction.
I am like a school kid with ADD when I come to my computer in the morning. I want to stay on task, I really do but the Internet is ripe with tempting diversions.

This morning for instance, I went online to check my email and Facebook. I went to Facebook where a friend posted a funny video that leads me to You Tube where I get lost amongst similar gems. After several minutes - maybe 20 or 30 - I remember to check my email and log onto my home page where OOOO look, look over here on my home page there is a link to the NPR story I only got a chance to hear the end of yesterday, now I can listen to the whole thing. It's a story about a book I was curious about, so I go to Amazon to search for the book and Amazon conveniently has listed some of their suggestions which includes the book I was curious about and others I had yet heard about, so I start to click on the books and learn more. I put them in the Wish List and then see that Amazon has started this Universal Wish List - which means I can add items from almost any other site to my Amazon list. Well, heck, I have to give that a try. So I go to J Jill and find that I can use the Amazon feature with J Jill! I'm so thrilled that I start looking - and I'll be darned but there's a huge, huge sale with free shipping and 15% off my entire purchase. Well, I didn't really need anything but heck such a deal.

After a few moments, I wonder why I'm shopping on J Jill and remember that I don't need anything. Wasn't it that Dave Ramsey book I read parts of that talked about scaling back and only getting what you need? I can't recall, so I go back to Amazon to check if that's the book and remember my reason for going to the J Jill site. But I cannot remember what brought me originally to the Amazon site. I look through that site's wish list and see the book I heard about on NPR! I better order that, I think, before I forget again. Now what was that other book or author I came to Amazon for?

I can't recall so I go back to my email account. There is an email from a teacher that reminds me I need to log on to the school site to check grades. For both schools - different districts.  By the time I'm done with that, I see that I have now spent 90 minutes on the computer and haven't completed one thing I needed to complete. Which was???

From now on, before I sit down in front of this attention-grabbing-distraction-causing technological wonder, I will have to make a to-do list. Or I'll never get anything done!

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