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Work email is killing productivity. This author imagines messaging that's better for our brains

It has most likely happened to all of us — we’re working on something, and we hear the ding of a new email or instant message. We immediately stop what we’re doing to check and respond to the new message.

But Cal Newport says that is not an ideal way to work. In fact, he says it’s a productivity disaster, among other problems.

Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, and is the author of the book, "A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in a World of Communication Overload."

The Show spoke with him and asked about the title of his book — "A World Without Email" — because for a lot of people, that idea is probably both tantalizing and, at the same time, terrifying.

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Mark Brodie is a co-host of The Show, KJZZ’s locally produced news magazine. Since starting at KJZZ in 2002, Brodie has been a host, reporter and producer, including several years covering the Arizona Legislature, based at the Capitol.