I recently had the distinct pleasure of studying some papers on algorithms for a system we’re developing. Sounds glamorous, doesn’t it? I threw myself into the nostalgia of the good old engineering days. Or at least, that’s what I told myself before my attention span decided to tap out approximately 30 seconds in.
On one hand, studying algo papers is a fantastic ego boost for an engineer. “Look at me, I’m learning cutting-edge stuff!” On the other hand, staying focused long enough to absorb any of it? That’s the real boss level. And yes, I failed.
“You can always find a distraction if you're looking for one” - Tom Kite
If you are wondering what did happen, here’s a non-exhaustive list of reasons I got interrupted:
Checking my phone for “work-related” emails (and definitely not memes).
Team members asking for advice, clarifications, or the meaning of life.
A client randomly asking for… well, random things.
My cat, which decided to jump on my lap on one of the deepest focus moments...
This whole experience reminded me of a personal “stat” from a few years ago: trying to listen to a 3-minute Deep Purple song on Spotify ( When a Blind Man Cries if you ask). It took me an entire day, and no, I never made it to the end.
Turns out, I’m not alone. Some overachieving researchers out there actually studied how frequently we get distracted. And it’s bad. Like, really bad.
We check our phones every 12 minutes.
If you work in an office, congrats! You’ll likely get interrupted every 5-7 minutes. If you’re me, it’s more like every 2.
And the cherry on top? According to a study by the University of California Irvine, it takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to your task after being interrupted.
Let that sink in. If we’re interrupted every 8 minutes but need 23 minutes to refocus, the math doesn’t lie: we are never focused. Ever. You’d have better luck finding a unicorn than catching someone in a productive flow state.
How many times have you lost the plot during a meeting because your phone buzzed?
How often have you repeated yourself in a team meeting because half the room was “multitasking” (read: not listening)?
Ever gotten an email from the person sitting right next to you… while you were both in the same meeting? Or worse, when it was just the two of you? (Yes, it happens. More than you think.)
How many “limited-time deals” have you Googled mid-meeting? (“Special price ends in 5 minute, buy now!” Yeah, we’ve all been there, don’t lie.)
And let’s not forget the endless notifications from your 'inner-circle' group chat. I mean, do we really need to know what Sarah’s cat did today?
We’re wasting tons of time. And most of it is our fault. Yep, we’re the architects of our own distraction disaster.
But here’s some positive attitude: since it’s our fault, it also means we can fix it. Revolutionary, right?
Delete social media apps from your phone. Start by turning off notifications. Once you’ve built up some strength, you might even be able to delete them entirely.
Silent mode is your friend. No vibrations either. Whitelist only the people you’d actually answer a call from, usually your parents or your kids’ school. (If you’re in sales, fine, you’re exempt.)
No phones in meetings. Plain and Simple, Just don’t bring them.
Laptops in meetings? Off-limits. But if you absolutely must bring one, disable Wi-Fi. Seriously, no one cares about that email.
Enforce the rules for everyone. If the whole team ditches devices, meetings might actually be productive. Crazy idea, I know.
Kill desktop notifications. That little pop-up in the corner of your screen? It’s a Trojan horse for your brain.
No magic bullet, no secret sauce, just small changes that might help you claw back a shred of your sanity. Or at least let you finish that damn Deep Purple song.
Good luck, and may the productivity gods be ever in your favor.
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