Picture this. You sit down to read a book. You know the one — the book all your friends have raved about. So, okay, you read the first sentence. Maybe you make it to the end of the paragraph. But the next thing you know, your hand, as if possessed, reaches for your phone and calls up Twitter or Instagram or the New York Times, and you let the book drop to the floor before you've even finished the first page.

Why does that happen? Why does your attention feel less like a steadily trained spotlight and more like a frantically blinking strobe? And will you ever find a way to get your focus back?

"Yes!" says author and UC Irvine professor Gloria Mark. And lucky for you, she'll be here all week to explain why your attention wandered off and what you can do to get it back.

Gloria's new book is "Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity."