My attention is a grandfather clock.  It may swing in one direction, gathering force so that I am focusing with all my might at the peak of its swing, but as soon as it reaches its peak, that is when it begins to fall away.  Whatever it is I need to be doing will gradually become more frustrating, until the pendulum reaches its deepest valley at which point I will begin to casually look at something else.  Just a glance at my phone, or a tweet from the bird at the top of the clock is where it’ll start.  But soon the mail is in my hands, and it needs a response.  And then an article in the paper demands my attention.  Soon I am doing something else entirely and my focus on that is being stronger.  It is not until I reach that activity’s peak that I realize how lonely the first obligation has become and I begin to try and pull myself away form this new diversion.  The pendulum is falling once more, this time in favor of the more productive activity, but it may be some time before it actually reaches its peak once more.  The damage is done.