I found that changing my IM settings so that it doesn’t open automaticaly is a huge help. I only open it when I want to talk to someone specifically and i’m not caught up in so many small talk coversations.

I think I might take a huge leap and unsubscribe from all my 43things subscriptions. I know, it sounds horrible. But I think it is what I need to do to use this site for achieving my goals rather than socializing. I haven’t done it yet. Just thinking about it.