‘Solutions to the mania of modern life’ The Times

‘Interruptions are a fact of life. This has long been true, no fancy technology required, but today, we have bright, shiny technology, some deliberately designed to distract and thereby to interrupt. Gloria Mark's book is a thorough review of the impact these interruptions have on our lives and mental health. Some interruptions are welcomed, deliberately self-created. Most, however, are not. All interruptions impact the focus of attention, and attention is a critically limiting aspect of human cognition. Don't be distracted by my review – go read the book. It is an important and valuable contribution to living in this world of interruptions.’ Don Norman, author of The Design of Everyday Things

‘A must-read for anyone concerned about our diminishing attention span’ Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author of A World Without Email and Deep Work

‘If you are interested in your well-being and how to gain agency in this digital age then you need to read this book’
Susan David, bestselling author of Emotional Agility

Dr Gloria Mark is Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, and a leader in the fields of attention, multitasking and human–computer interactions. She is a two-time recipient of the Google Research Award and has conducted some of the world’s most detailed on-site research in the workplace, using a range of sensors, biosensors, and other measures to track employee behaviour to measure focus, stress, and computer activity. Her primary research interest is in understanding the impact of digital media on people's lives and she is best known for her work in studying people's multitasking, mood and behaviour while using digital media in real world environments.

Popular accounts of Dr. Mark’s work have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Forbes, Quartz, TIME, BBC News and NPR, and she is also the author of Multitasking in the Digital Age (2015).