The Math of Why You Can't Focus at Work

Overview The article explains how three key variables-interruptions, recovery time, and task size-combine mathematically to determine how much focused work can be achieved in a day. Interactive visualizations illustrate why even small numbers of interruptions can dramatically reduce productivity.

Key Takeaways

• Each interruption incurs a recovery cost that adds up quickly.
• Larger tasks suffer more from fragmented work, while smaller tasks can be completed more efficiently.
• Reducing interruptions and batching work can dramatically improve focus.
• Simple calculations can help teams set realistic expectations for output.

Who Would Benefit

• Engineering managers looking to improve team productivity.
• Technical leaders who want data-driven ways to reduce context switching.
• Individual contributors seeking strategies to protect deep work time.
• Anyone interested in quantifying the cost of interruptions.

Frameworks and Methodologies

• Pomodoro-style timeboxing.
• Task batching and chunking.
• Flow time analysis.