A recent survey from the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project found that only 4 percent of Americans think that social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are “very important” tools for their jobs. Indeed, for all their real or imagined benefits, social networks are bona fide productivity killers. (There’s a reason why many places of employment block access to them during the workday.) For those software pros whose jobs involve social networking in a significant way (such as building apps with social connectivity built in), spending time on Facebook or Twitter is necessary; but for everybody else, it’s worth taking a look at whether we should reduce our social-media consumption throughout the course of the day. Try this experiment: Record how much time you spend cruising your networks. Now make it a goal to reduce that time gradually over the course of the next few months. Note when you’re using social networks to procrastinate from tasks, and make a conscious effort to stop—you can always cruise your friends’ postings later.   Image: Twin Design/Shutterstock.com