Boomers, Gen X Driven to Distraction as Gen Y Just Copes

Over the past several months I have written extensively about The Attention Crash. There are some signs (at least among geeks) that it's worsening.

Robert Scoble is, of course, the poster boy. Mike Elgan talks about curing the "Distraction Virus" and Paul Graham takes up a similar theme today. Even the New York Times is in.

Lord knows I am part of the same club. In fact, my own attention issues have prompted me to re-read the Four Hour Workweek. Tim's tips for trimming one's attention sails are invaluable, even if you remain in a corporate environment - which I certainly plan to do.

However, the more I ponder the issue, the more I think The Attention Crash is entirely generational.

Case in point. I work in an open space with a mix of people. Some are Gen Xers like me but even more are younger - they're Millennials. The Gen Yer's, it seems, do a far better job of coping with massive amounts of information. It's not uncommon for a lot of folks to be running Meebo with a dozen IM windows going at once, Facebooking, emailing and talking on the phone. And they're productive! Those of you who have kids I am sure see the same in your home.

Boomers and Gen Xers in the workplace will soon be outnumbered by Millennials. As this occurs, everyone will need to develop the same kind of coping skills. I don't have the answers, just tips. But our entire career path depends upon it.