Multitasking doesn’t actually work.
You aren’t doing more … you’re just doing the same things in smaller batches — much less efficiently. When you multitask, you’re really just interrupting yourself. They say it takes 15 minutes to get back into a task when you are interrupted. If you switch gears every 3 min, you’re never going to really get anything done well.
The worst interrupter is your own email.
Do this to recover your concentration and sanity:
Turn off all sounds, icons, and popups that happen when a new email arrives.
No one can ignore these things. So take the pressure off, turn it off, and only check email when you’re good and ready.
(My real wish: A way to send email out without seeing new email coming in.)
Thanks, Tim Ferris. Here is Tim’s more extreme take on the subject.