Citation :
How long does it take people to get back on task? We found about 82 percent of all interrupted work is resumed on the same day. But here's the bad news — it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task. Are we becoming more superficial thinkers? I argue that when people are switching contexts every 10 and half minutes they can't possibly be thinking deeply. There's no way people can achieve flow. When I write a research article, it takes me a couple of hours before I can even begin to think creatively. If I was switching every 10 and half minutes, there's just no way I'd be able to think deeply about what I'm doing. This is really bad for innovation. When you're on the treadmill like this, it's just not possible to achieve flow. What advice do you give to people who feel like they can't keep up? Limit your web usage. Be disciplined. I am the most productive if I limit web usage to twice per day, once in the morning and once at night. To be more realistic, it's usually like four times a day that I check e-mail. If I do that, I can be really productive. Be honest: have you been checking e-mail during this conversation? I have to confess, I did once or twice.
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