I've written before in my blog (www.cclarity.blogspot.com) about the pace of our world today, and its effect on our concentration: lack of focus, too many ways to become interrupted. We struggle with it because it's unnatural. Things that didn't even exist ten years ago are continually beeping for our attention. As Ogden Nash once said: "Progress might have been all right once, but it's gone on too long."

Now a Gallup poll announces 57 percent of small business owners say they work six or more days each week. Oddly, though, two out of three business owners said they were satisfied with their ability to achieve a positive work-life balance, and get things done that are most important to them. So it takes longer to work than it used to, but people don't seem to mind.

On a grander scale of frightening statistics, Knowledge Management World (Sept. 2005) finds interruptions consume about 28 percent of the knowledge worker's day, which translates to 28 billion lost hours in America per year. At an average cost of $21 per hour, that adds up to a staggering $588 billion per year, as the cost of interruptions to U.S companies.

The types of interruptions we experience are largely the new gadgets that command our attention... E-mail, instant messages, call waiting, caller ID, home phone, office phone, cell phone, pager.

If it seems overwhelming, remember those tools all have an "OFF" button. I think we live with the interruptions partly out of fascination that our pants can actually ring, and partly through a sense of curiosity or self-importance.

Since the technology is not going away, it's up to us to take the measures to control our time with good time management skills, define goals, and strive to focus on one task at a time. I'll try it if you will.

Need to fully synchronize your desktop and laptop, or office and home PC? This is what we've been waiting for: BeInSync installs on each computer, allowing you to synchronize your files, email, and preferences between computers. You can work on your data as if you are in the office, without the expense of a server, share files and access your data from any web-enabled computer. Two partners can share and update data continually. Zone Alarm customers can purchase BeInSync, through a partner offer, for $39.95/year. Retail price at www.beinsync.com is $59.95/year. If you want a link to the Zone Alarm discount offer, e-mail me at Helen@cclarity.com.

No, don't toss your computer just because you're mad at it. But if you have old computers taking up space, here's your chance to drop them off at a recycling center. Be sure to wipe the hard drive clean so no data can be retrieved by another person.

Drop off items October 15, 2005 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Motorola in Arlington Heights at Dundee and Wilke Roads. For a complete list of items accepted, see www.swancc.org. They will also be collecting old cell phones and pagers for donation to those in need for emergency use. It's time to toss those non-working old desktop computers, laptops, printers and fax machines.

1. Clean another thousand temp files.

2. Back up your email address book. Click File/export or Tools/export and save as a .txt file.

3. Catch the Sudoku puzzle craze at www.saidwhat.co.uk/easy.php.

4. Empty the Recycle Bin.

5. Say goodbye to the thousands of e-mails in your Sent folder.

6. Buy a USB thumb drive for quick, portable backups.

7. Divorce yourself from Google. Try clusty.com for clustered, organized results.

8. Update your web site.

9. Click on your anti-virus program to make sure it's updated and protecting you..

10. And, yes, backup your data, again.

Is this the first year you didn't buy 3-ring notebook paper for your children? Did you send them back to school with laptop computers, instead? It's a different world today. Browsing the back-to-school aisle at my local Office Max last week was a real experience: PDA's electronic dictionaries, neon cell phones, anti-bacterial pen grips, USB drives, wi-fi adapters, iPod's and the 'cool' surge protector all kids want. It's the 'Power Squid' with bendable blue tentacles. School was never like that for me!

Thanks for asking for the return of my "Click Here" column. Here are this month's treats:

Are you hooked on Sudoku puzzles? I've scoured the earth and found a site in the U.K. with free online Sudoku puzzles at www.saidwhat.co.uk/easy.php. To understand the mathematics and logic of the game, visit the online encyclopedia Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku

Ready for a new computer? CNet.com is a reliable info source on the web and now offers a Buying Guide if you're not sure which computer is right for you Try out their free ExactChoice service online at http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-7963_7-5114565.html.

If you don't have Adobe and want to create a PDF (portable document format) from a Word document or another file type, so it can't be altered, try the free PDF maker at www.pdfonline.com.

Grokker.com is a new search tool. Instead of returning a long text list of links to your search query, it presents results in big circles, with web sites clustered within each circle. I still like www.clusty.com for overall searches, but Grokker is fun and different. Take a look.

Thanks for all the comments on the e-news version of Clarity Connection. I'm so glad people like the change in format. I've heard from many people that they want to try things mentioned in the print newsletter but never get around to it. Now that its live right in your email you can highlight a link to explore, save, print, cut & paste, or forward with ease.

My sincere gratitude also to all of you who donated to the Red Cross through my web site. I realize there are a lot of other ways to contribute to the Gulf Coast relief effort, but am glad I was able to do something to help.

Cheers,

Helen Gallagher

Phone: 847-998-6240