Distractions are productivity death. How the fuck are you going to get anything done with alert bubbles and noises every two minutes? The world can wait until lunch; you've got things to do. Get rid of the distractions, blot out the outside world, and get to work.
Link to this | This doesn't fucking apply to me
Want to prevaricate for a couple more minutes? Merlin Mann has written a short article about focus.