Working on a important project on your computer? If you want to get it done on time, you might want to turn off the pop-ups that alert you when you get an email or IM. A new study out of the U.K.’s University of Cardiff reveals that every time you see a visual alert telling you that you have a new incoming message, it breaks your focus and slows you down—even if you look at the alert for just a few seconds. Need to know about incoming messages as you work? Then switch the settings to an audio alert, since sound is easier to process in the brain and won’t disrupt you, says study author Helen Hodgetts, Ph.D.
[photo: derekGavey]
