I know I’m getting a little hard of hearing, but lately it’s gotten much worse. I keep hearing people say something, but I can’t quite catch what they say. Then I look at them and see a wire hanging out of their ear and realize that they’re talking to someone via cellphone. Does anyone besides me remember when you couldn’t bring a cell phone into a track? And laptops! It seems like everyone has one, or at least a netbook, at the track now.

Using your phone or laptop to browse handicapping sites or get last minute info can be a real help at the track, but there’s a downside to this technology too. When you’re plugged in – to your computer, your phone or any other device, you’re not really “here.” Despite the big focus on “multitasking”, studies show that most people can’t handle more than one thing at a time, at least not successfully.

So, if you’re talking to your friend who’s at Wheeling – or reading his tweets – while you’re trying to handicap Tri State while you wait for the 6th race at Palm Beach to go off, you’re not likely to get rich at the track. So, what do you do? Shut yourself off from your friends and all that info that’s out there on the Net? Well, you don’t have to be that drastic.

How about just shutting off your phone while you handicap your program? Then, turn it on, but turn it off again if you want to go over a race. Trying to handicap a program in between answering and sending tweets and text messages is like trying to balance your checkbook while your kids blast rap music at you. You could do it, but would you want to do it that way?

While it’s good to get as much information as possible before you decide on your plays, how you get that info can mean the difference between winning and losing. So, unplug yourself from your phone and your laptop long enough to take the time you need to really concentrate with no distractions. See if it doesn’t make a difference in your ROI. It even cuts way down on the time it takes to go over a program, because you’re not being interrupted every few minutes. Do this one thing, and when you DO turn on your phone, you might have some good news to tweet to your friends, because your handicapping paid off.