Is this necessary?
I started today in a coffee and computer-induced massive ADD state. One item led me to a side-trip, which led me to another side trip and another… until I had lost sight of what I started out to do first. Once I awoke from my ADD coma, three and half hours later, I pondered if this is the natural state of modern Homo sapiens, which is only going to get worse as technology expands its reach into every facet of our lives.
I may be more at risk to this disease than most because I am a technology generalist, pulled at every moment in several different directions in an attempt to keep up. A sample inventory:
I support all different types of computer systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003 and 2008, Windows Small Business Server 2003, Windows Home Server, Mac OS X, both Tiger and Leopard client versions, Mac OS X Leopard Server, Linux. And Windows 7 is soon to be released.
I need to keep up on networking and the various vendors’ equipment. These vendors have names like Linksys from Cisco, D-Link, Netgear, TRENDnet, Apple, and Belkin. Each vendor implements the same general networking protocols and features similarly but not identically.
I need to know all different forms of standard desktop applications, e.g. Word XP, Word 2003, Word 2007, and the Mac versions Word 2004 and 2008. Similarly, I need to know this for Excel and PowerPoint. On the Mac, I need to understand iPhoto, iMovie, Garage Band, iWeb, Keynote, Pages and Numbers. I need to keep up my web development skills in both Dreamweaver and RapidWeaver (Mac only). Beyond this is the need to know what is happening with web developments and services.
If I did not enjoy technology this would be an impossible task. It may be anyway.
The main point of the above is to highlight those things that induce my daily ADD. I am certain you have your own list. Perhaps the change in the news cycle from once or twice a day—the morning newspaper and the evening TV news—to the Internet’s constant and overwhelming news stream. Add to this the distraction of Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging and it is no wonder that we are distracted.
Is this necessary? I should consider this question further but I have other things I need to attend to now!