CityView Magazine

editors' corner Finding Focus same study said that the effect of frequent electronic distractions was three times worse for men than the effect of smoking marijuana. I didn't even finish reading the study before I stopped to Facebook and Tweet the findings and to send a text to my husband about it. And I wonder why I oſten feel fuzzy headed at the end of the day? In fact, I have been interrupted by phone calls and text messages no less than seven times since I sat down to write this column. Considering that another recent study found that it takes 20 minutes to refocus on a task aſter each interruption, it's no wonder it seems to take forever for me to get my work done. Everywhere I go I see people more absorbed with what is happening on their phones than in R Rebekah Sanderlin, senior editor W ecently I read a study conducted by researchers at the University of London which found that constant emailing and text messaging reduces mental capabil- ity by an average of 10 points on an IQ test. (Five points for women, 15 points for men — proving that women are slightly better multi-taskers, but I digress.) The the world around them, and I know that I am guilty of this as well. These so-called productiv- ity tools are not only causing us to miss what's happening right in front of us, they're actually making us less productive — and dumber. None of us are likely to give up our devices, though, so what can we do to offset this effect? In my household we have recently committed to remember the Sabbath. As a family we have decided to not work on Sundays, for religious reasons but also for practical reasons. All people need a day to truly rest. Of course, there will be times when we'll have to break this rule, but I'm betting that every time we manage to unplug and unwind on a Sunday, we'll be that much more productive come Monday morning. puppies in this issue. I know I am not tasked to write the Faith column, but go with me here: Have you ever hen I meet readers they oſten mention that they love read- ing our funny stories and getting to know CityView's staff more per- sonally. Well, aſter a whirlwind summer, I am full of quirky tales, but I'm not inclined to write light-hearted musings about gardening and felt like you know what you should be doing in life but have held on for safety, security and living comfortably? Sometimes when you do take that step of faith in a new direc- tion, you pray that God is going to show up. You know what I have found, aſter all these years? He has been there with me all the time — He was waiting for me to let go and to just live life out loud and do things that matter ... to spend my time on things that really count in life. There are many people out there doing this already and they are making a difference in our community, and there are some who leſt our lives too early. Enjoy the pages of this issue, filled with stories about good people, doing good things, including families who have lost loved ones and people who won their battles with cancer. Kelly Twedell, features editor 12 | September/October • 2012

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