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Do you suffer from Digital Distractionitis? Are your work and study habits affected by your online (and even offline) habits?

I’ve heard the terms “Facebookery” and “Twitteritis” from Yahoo Launchcast. I laughed. But it has a ring of truth in it. We really are in the age of digital distraction.

If you’re afflicted by the following symptoms, then you’ve got digital distractionitis.

1. Can’t plug out of the computer and the Internet without emotional anguish. You can’t imagine plugging out of the computer. If you do, it is with utmost regrets and a painful sigh.

By the way, here’s a really good graphical representation of digital distraction by David McCandless of Information is Beautiful.

2. Glued to Facebook for an hour or so. If you spend more than an hour straight in Facebook, you really have “Facebookery” and is seriously distracted.

3. Twittering, Plurking after every five minutes about the weather, the food you’re eating, when you’re going to the bathroom, or really personal matters you’re thinking about. Give yourself a break dude!

4. Signing up for Overtime at the office just so you can enjoy free internet. You got the overtime pay and you’ve checked your favorite sites, too!

5. You’ve got dark spots on your wrists. Too much typing and mouse-overuse.

6. The deadline for your project was yesterday and you’re just doing halfway through it. And Facebook, Plurk and Twitter are beckoning you to log on.

7. You’re with the friend at the coffeeshop (with free Wi-Fi) and you just can’t resist the urge to check your email on your phone. There goes the good conversationalist.

8. You’ve got Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome and Safari open. Each of them with numerous tabs open. On top of that, you’re chatting with at least five friends on Yahoo Messenger, AIM, Google Chat or Skype.

9. You’re checking your favorite YouTube videos, blogs and websites every hour to see if there are new posts and content for you to read or watch.

If you’re displaying all nine symptoms, you better give yourself a break and start working! Don’t wait for the boss to come around and catch you.

Here are some blogs dealing with digital distraction and some ways to help you out.

Digital Distractions: Malady, Madness or Nirvana?
Driven to Media Distraction
Social Media: a distraction or an assistant?
Attention and Distractions in a Social World
Social Media – Distraction or Smart Strategy?

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