E-Mail Overload and Attention Deficit "Trait"

We've been passing around the following article at work, Why Don't We Pay Attention Anymore?.

It is an interview with Dr. Edward Hallowell who has diagnosed something he calls "attention deficit trait" in the working world, "the result, he contends, of the modern workplace, where the constant and relentless chatter coming from our computers, phones and other high-tech devices is diluting our mental powers" and making people "increasingly distracted, irritable, impulsive, restless and, over the long term, underachieving".

Since we can be reached 50 different ways, we can be disrupted 50 different ways.

Coincidentally, or serendipidously(?), I also came across this post from LawLibTech on Tips for Mastering E-Mail Overload.

Of course, the best advice would be to "just ignore" most e-mails. I do (just kidding!). Since that wouldn't go down very well in many workplaces, the article offers many hints on how to make sure e-mails make sense and actually facilitate, as oppose to disrupt, the recipient's day.