There was a time in our history where we had to be aware of every noise and sight for survival. If we ignored these we could be a meal for some animal. Today we do not have to worry about this, but our minds are still trained to easily be distracted. For us to learn and be productive we had to learn to pay attention, have patience, and manners.
With technology we use less and less of these skills. Here are some examples: We do not have to pay attention as much in class because we can look anything up on the internet. We do not have to be patient because the iPhone allows us to buy any app for any interest. We are able to avoid thinking and physically experiencing life because we can live vicariously through the TV with all of the available channels.
The internet is also giving instance access to very negative things, and since it is so easy to reach it can easily take over our lives. Heck, Kevin Miller recently posted an article http://kevinmiller.typepad.com/my_weblog/ describing being built for comfort not speed that relates to this.
We need to be aware when we are not doing the things that are not in line with our goals. Take a look at the successful people; they had to overcome their natural tendencies and focus relentlessly on a goal. If they did not they would just be average. Do you want to be average? If not what do you have to overcome in your primitive brain that is holding you back from success?