This comment mirrors my own initial thoughts: Rather than (just) a complaint, I'd be interested in an analysis of just what is going on, these days. There's s

This comment mirrors my own initial thoughts: Rather than (just) a complaint, I'd be interested in an analysis of just what is going on, these days. There's so much tardiness, yet society and relationships are not flying apart (or maybe they are?). So, at a society level, it seems to be working. What does that look like, deconstructed? (Presumably, some part of the system/society is gaining advantages from it; we're not just all and entirely one-sidedly enduring a bad habit.) Now, to rectify my own bad behavior: Commenting before I've read the article. Edit: Read the article. I remain with the same question. I speculate the answer might intersect with recent commentary on the inhibiting effects of a surfeit of choice -- or, at a more basic level, mental stimulation. Too many things vying for our attention. There have been articles describing the deleterious effect upon the individual of encountering this in the form of too many products to choose from, when shopping. One effect being that you never make the purchase. Or you draw out the consideration to a crisis point, whereupon you snap up the item closest at hand, which may actually be a sub-optimal choice in terms of quality and features. In the modern, (U.S.) consumer landscape, more and more of the different brands are being manufactured by the same few conglomerates. Is there an analogy in the time management landscape? How many of those TV program choices are from the same conglomerates? How many of the conflicting demands upon your time come, actually, ultimately from the same employer? Is tackling the problem in part aided by recognizing the commonality of much of this distraction, and seeing it for that: One and the same? (So, make your choice and execute, and choose further to tune out -- at least while doing this -- the rest?) I feel I'm really going out on a limb, posting this rambling. But I wonder how others see this working, not just the impression that it's bad.