The Enemy of Focus: The Interruption

In our digital society, where a daily tsunami of information comes your way, it’s already difficult to stay focused on what truly matters to you. You are your own information filter; based on your preferences and priorities, you sort through what’s coming at you so that you can focus on the important things.

Just when you’re in the flow… there it is: the interruption. They come in all shapes and sizes, but no matter what form they take – they are lethal to your focus.

What kinds are there, and what can you do about them?

Someone interrupts you

Undoubtedly the most irritating listening habit! When someone cuts you off, you lose your train of thought more easily, or it just leaves you with a bad feeling: you feel unheard. Research from Stanford shows – quite logically – that quiet people find it much more rude to be interrupted than talkative ones. The latter usually don’t mind being interrupted. However, even they get annoyed when someone raises their voice or changes the subject.

What helps?
This article in de Volkskrant offers great tips on dealing with conversation interruptions. But let’s take a broader look at what affects your work focus – for example:

The loose end swirling around in your mind

One of the first healthy work habits I recommend is clearing your head. Ideally in a structured way: a brain dump at fixed times during the day, or just continuously as thoughts pop up.

These kinds of loose ends are draining. They interrupt your thinking and demand your attention — whether you want them to or not. In the book The ABC of Planning, Organizing and Optimizing by my colleague Martine Vecht, this is referred to as the Zeigarnik effect. Psychologist Zeigarnik found that unfinished tasks are remembered much better than completed ones.

In your brain, that little check mark (“Check! Done”) apparently signals that information can be removed from your working memory. Smart, right? Who wants old completed tasks from 2014 floating around in their head?

In any case, loose ends are energy-drainers.
They are internal interruptions – rising from within. From guilt (“I should have started that already!”) or anxiety (“Shoot, don’t forget, I still have to do that”).

What helps?

• Choose fixed times each day to jot down everything that comes to mind. Use a task list, a notebook, or a mind map – whatever suits you best. At the very least, do it at the end of the day, so you don’t go home with unfinished thoughts.
• If you feel anxious or guilty about something, try to figure out the next actionable step. How will you start? When is the real deadline to get going? Or would it be better to contact the person waiting for your input, so you can manage their expectations?
• Use an app on your phone to capture loose ends. For example, Braintoss, where you can type or dictate thoughts (using the microphone function), and they’ll be sent to your email inbox. Great when you’re stopped at a traffic light and remember something urgent.
• Keep a notebook on your nightstand to capture late-night loose ends. Better than your smartphone, which tends to cause more distraction and disrupt sleep. Add some context to your notes, though – you might not remember what “Robert – project – schema IV” meant by morning.

The Curse of Being the Go-To Person

Being the go-to person is a compliment – “Hey, you seem to know a lot. Can you help me with…?”

It’s a different story when you’re constantly pestered by people needing info, decisions, or support. Unless you’re a receptionist or customer service agent, it’s fair to want people to solve more on their own.

What helps?

• See if your workspace can be rearranged. Turn your desk, add a plant or cabinet between you and the door, or change the walking route.
• Is there information you’re constantly repeating? Make it structurally available: signage, FAQs on the intranet, or a cheat sheet on the wall.
• Can you encourage people to learn this knowledge themselves? It requires coaching and investment (in time, energy, and sometimes money). Great that you’re the Excel wizard, but you’ve got better things to do than fix everyone’s formula errors. Send them to a course!
• A question quota fosters independence. Agree that people should come to you only after collecting two or three questions. It increases the chance they solve one on their own.

The Loud Jokers

Noise tolerance varies per person and context. One person comments loudly on every email, while another only makes their presence known when asking if you want coffee.

Personal styles are fine, but when working in close quarters, some team norms are necessary. It’s about agreeing on “how we do things around here.”

What helps?

• Set shared expectations. Can everyone choose their own radio station, or should we use headphones? Encourage speaking up when behavior clashes with the group culture.
• Remember that culture is like an oil tanker – slow to change and requiring constant steering. It’s not a speedboat you can quickly turn.
• Practice giving feedback when things get disruptive. Offer a concrete suggestion: “I find it hard to concentrate during your long phone calls at the desk. Would you be willing to take those somewhere else? What would be a good spot for you?”
• Use noise-cancelling headphones to work in focus. You can play calming music or even productivity-enhancing sounds – like train noises or ambient café chatter.

The Office Blabbermouth

“Hey John, I heard from Robert that the proposal was approved by the Management Team, so we can move ahead!” Shouted updates directed at someone two desks away are the nightmare of open-plan offices.

Everyone between the loudmouth and John is distracted and has to mentally rewind before resuming their work.

What helps?

• Make clear agreements about communication channels. The loudmouth doesn’t need to become a compulsive emailer – he can just walk over to John and speak softly.
• Create new channels if current ones aren’t cutting it. Consider a team chat app for short questions, or maintain a shared dashboard with key updates.
• A fixed weekly check-in helps if consultation needs are frequent. Both parties can prepare updates in one go.
• Negative stimuli can work as well. One team went further: if someone blurted out an update across the room, they had to put a euro in the “shout jar.” At the end of the month, that pot funded the team’s happy hour.

Other Interruptions

• Email notifications: Turning them off makes a huge difference for your focus. Check email intentionally, not reactively.
• Impatience: Give everyone a red card if they show up at your desk ten minutes after sending an email, asking “Have you read my e-mail?”. Managing response-time expectations is essential.

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