Techniques for Concentrating Amid Office Distractions

Coworkers keep tapping you on the shoulder? Drop this 2-word boundary. "Focus Block" But it only works if you back it up with systems: 1️⃣ Headphones are like my office door - AirPods Pro, Sony WH-1000XM5s, or a $20 pair of construction headphones whatever kills the background noise. - I loop the same lofi playlist so folks see the cans + hear zero talk = “Max is in the zone.” 2️⃣ Zero notifications - Email, Slack, Teams, iMessage, Socials? All turned off. - Phone calls and teams calls are the only notifications that are enabled. - I also use the app "Laps" on iOS to handle blocking apps I don't want notifications from, and track my focus over time 3️⃣ Calendar armor - Focus Block #1 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM - Focus Block #2 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM - Catch-up window 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM (this is when I actually open inboxes/ IMs etc). - Status flips to Do Not Disturb so those “quick sync?” invites auto-decline 4️⃣ The polite deferral If someone still taps me on the shoulder, I typically say: “I’m in a focus block, can you give me (insert however much time is remaining) and I’ll swing by.” #deepfocus #productivity #softwareengineer

The silent productivity killer you've never heard of... Attention Residue (and 3 strategies to fight back): The concept of "attention residue" was first identified by University of Washington business professor Dr. Sophie Leroy in 2009. The idea is quite simple: There is a cognitive cost to shifting your attention from one task to another. When our attention is shifted, there is a "residue" that remains in the brain and impairs our cognitive performance on the new task. Put differently, you may think your attention has fully shifted to the next task, but your brain has a lag—it thinks otherwise! It's relatively easy to find examples of this effect in your own life: • You get on a call but are still thinking about the prior call. • An email pops up during meeting and derails your focus. • You check your phone during a lecture and can't refocus afterwards. There are two key points worth noting here: 1. The research indicates it doesn't seem to matter whether the task switch is "macro" (i.e. moving from one major task to the next) or "micro" (i.e. pausing one major task for a quick check on some minor task). 2. The challenge is even more pronounced in a remote/hybrid world, where we're free to roam the internet, have our chat apps open, and check our phones all while appearing to be focused in a Zoom meeting. With apologies to any self-proclaimed proficient multitaskers, the research is very clear: Every single time you call upon your brain to move away from one task and toward another, you are hurting its performance—your work quality and efficiency suffer. Author Cal Newport puts it well: "If, like most, you rarely go more than 10–15 minutes without a just check, you have effectively put yourself in a persistent state of self-imposed cognitive handicap." Here are three strategies to manage attention residue and fight back: 1. Focus Work Blocks: Block time on your calendar for sprints of focused energy. Set a timer for a 45-90 minute window, close everything except the task at hand, and focus on one thing. It works wonders. 2. Take a Breather: Whenever possible, create open windows of 5-15 minutes between higher value tasks. Schedule 25-minute calls. Block those windows on your calendar. During them, take a walk or close your eyes and breathe. 3. Batch Processing: You still have to reply to messages and emails. Pick a few windows during the day when you will deeply focus on the task of processing and replying to these. Your response quality will go up from this batching, and they won't bleed into the rest of your day. Attention residue is a silent killer of your work quality and efficiency. Understanding it—and taking the steps to fight back—will have an immediate positive impact on your work and life. If you enjoyed this or learned something, share it with others and follow me Sahil Bloom for more in future! The beautiful visualization is by Roberto Ferraro.

12 steps to protect your focus - And develop a deep work routine: (5 and 6 are so important) 1) Prioritize ↳Before you begin, pick just 1 task you want to work on (no multitasking) ↳Choose your "frog" - the important item you've been putting off 2) Protect the time ↳Find a window of at least 1 hour (2-3 is even better) and block it on your calendar ↳Experiment to find the time when you're most productive and focused 3) Find a space ↳Choose a location where you can close the door and limit distractions ↳Ask others not to interrupt you when you're in there 4) Prepare ↳Download files and gather resources you'll need to complete the work ↳Go to the bathroom, grab a water, and anticipate any other needs 5) Put your phone away ↳Switch your phone to airplane mode and put it out of reach ↳Do NOT look at it until you're finished - that friend's text can wait 6) Shut apps  ↳Close anything on your computer that has notifications, like email and Slack ↳X out of any distracting tabs like news sites or social media 7) Grab a pen and pad ↳It's impossible to stop to-dos and other thoughts from popping into your head ↳Simply write them down when you think of them and then move on 8) Use headphones ↳If you're particularly sensitive to sound, try noise-canceling headphones ↳Find what's best for you: playing nothing at all, white noise, or music without lyrics 9) Clear your mind ↳When everything is ready, pause before diving in to briefly relax ↳You can simply close your eyes and breathe, or do a 1-minute meditation 10) Use a timer ↳Set a timer so you don't have to worry about watching the clock ↳Experiment with techniques like Pomodoro to work and break in intervals 11) Improve ↳After every time you do deep work, reflect on what helped and hurt your focus ↳Make improvements each time to consistently enhance your productivity 12) Handle the basics ↳Exhaustion, hunger, and lack of exercise can be even worse for focus than your phone ↳Get adequate sleep, eat well, and move your body every day Just two hours of deep work can beat a full day of distracted work. Use this checklist to focus deeply on your most important tasks, And turbocharge your productivity. P.S. I'm always curious to hear: When do you get your best deep work done? --- ♻ Repost to help your network be more productive. And follow me George Stern for more. If you want the high-res PDF of this sheet, sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gpe6Q3V6

"A quick call can turn into a long fall from productivity" Anyone who has ever been in the middle of a productive flow state and been interrupted by a "quick call" knows the feeling. One moment you're in the zone, cranking out work and feeling unstoppable. The next, you're on a call that could have been an email, and your momentum is completely gone. It takes time to recover from the context switch. This image captures the reality of context switching. In the expectation column, we see a straight line representing uninterrupted productivity. In the reality column, we see a sharp drop-off after the "quick call" interruption, followed by a slow and painful climb back to productivity. To minimize the cost of context switching: - Communicate expectations: Clearly outline your availability and preferences for communication. There are cases where jumping on a call is the right option and times when alternatives may be perfectly fine. This helps manage expectations and reduces unexpected interruptions. - Master the art of asynchronous communication: Opt for email or messaging for less urgent matters. This allows you to respond when it's convenient without disrupting your workflow. Especially when you can respond to an ask faster using text than alternatives, consider it. - Schedule focused work blocks: Dedicate (actually) uninterrupted time for deep work. Use tools or techniques like the Pomodoro Technique and switching off notifications to optimize these blocks. Use your best judgement for how often you need to check if you missed something important. By implementing these strategies, you can significantly reduce the impact of interruptions and reclaim your productivity. Illustrated by Ash Lamb who is always worth a follow #motivation #productivity #mindset