I’ve got something to tell you.

It’s important.

No…focus on me.

There we go.

Now I’ll be quick – because according to Dr Gloria Marks, author of the new book ‘Attention Span’, I’ve got just 47 seconds before you switch screens.

Yes, you heard right. 47 seconds.

In 2004 it was 2.5 minutes.

A few years later it was 75 seconds.

And now… less than a minute.

On top of that, Mark writes, it’ll take you 25 minutes to bring your attention back to a task after an interruption.

Holy guacamole.

And we’re not just distracted by notifications.

We constantly distract ourselves, with ‘a thought, a memory, an urge to look up information or a desire to connect with others. When you are immersed in the world’s largest candy store, it is hard to resist sampling the wares.’

So the next time you’re communicating online, remember the clock is ticking…