ONE THING AT A TIME. Seriously.

While many people say multitasking makes them more productive, research shows otherwise. Heavy multitaskers actually have more trouble focusing and shutting out irrelevant information, scientists say, and they experience more stress.

And scientists are discovering that even after the multitasking ends, fractured thinking and lack of focus persist. In other words, this is also your brain off computers.

Go read and understand it all. Note the image of contemporary domesticity that opens the article.

New York Times photo by Chang W. Lee.

A related article highlights the physiology of connectivity addiction.

Some experts suggest simply trying to curtail the amount of time you spend online. Set limits for how often you check e-mail or force yourself to leave your cellphone at home occasionally.

The problem is similar to an eating disorder, says Dr. Kimberly Young, a professor at St. Bonaventure University in New York who has led research on the addictive nature of online technology. Technology, like food, is an essential part of daily life, and those suffering from disordered online behavior cannot give it up entirely and instead have to learn moderation and controlled use. She suggests therapy to determine the underlying issues that set off a person’s need to use the Internet "as a way of escape."

I'm not convinced. Lawnmowers and washing machines are also technology, and I have no recollection of any washing machine or lawnmower disorders. And there are any number of methods by which society conspires against excessive gambling or drinking, or, for that matter, excessive trainspotting.

Will power is useful. I have explained to a few colleagues how to turn off the "you have mail" alert, and I'm slowly acclimating them to the idea that I don't deal with electronic mail before noon or after 10 pm.