Warning:  Reading this (at the wrong time) can impair your ability! 

A fascinating clinical study found that the IQ of workers who juggled phone calls, e-mails, text messages and their work fell by 10 points during the course of the day.  10 points are the equivalent of a whole night's sleep.  Those workers would have been better off working concentratedly while being stoned since smoking marijuana results in a comparatively low 4-point loss of IQ.  In support of popular opinion, the negative effect of this kind of multi-tasking was even greater in men than in women.

Do you find yourself offering an immediate response to the phone, the Blackberry and "You've got mail"?  What would it take for you to "unplug" for a couple of hours at at time to work with deep concentration, and then get back to the world around you?

What would it take for you to create work environment expectations along these lines for your team?  Your clients?  Your boss?

It's worth looking at - it just might make you all smarter!

Enjoy yourself!