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Laura Koehne

Manager of product training, high-tech market research company
Takoma Park, Md.

"I have a habit of checking e-mail while I'm supposed to be doing other things. Typing away the other morning, I smelled the sour smell of burning oatmeal. As I rushed across the room to the pan, I thought, am I doing the things that matter? As I read messages, am I letting the important tasks burn away unattended? Now that episode is a metaphorical reminder for me, as I've programmed an alert on my computer to pop up once a day. It gently prompts me to check in with what is most important to do right now, saying: "Is the oatmeal burning?""