Another day, another case against multitasking. We know that doing several things at once can hurt our productivity, but The New York Times frames this common argument in a way [1] that makes it pretty compelling. The piece states, "Every status update you read on Facebook, every tweet or text message you get from a friend, is competing for resources in your brain with important things like whether to put your savings in stocks or bonds, where you left your passport or how best to reconcile with a close friend you just had an argument with."

To avoid these brain-resource-sucking interruptions, breaking up your day and designating a period to work on one thing at a time will help. For example, you can check your email and nothing else at 9 a.m., then work on social media at 10 a.m. Turn off notifications so the precious capacity in your brain isn't taken up by thoughts of something else.