Distraction during work may be fun, but it is not productive. A new study called ‘The Cost of Interrupted Work’ determined exactly how long it takes to regain your concentration and that turns out to be a lot longer than expected.
There are moments when you are completely in work mode. Then your keyboard works overtime and every so often you can cross a task off your to-do list. You’re on track to have the most productive day of your career – until you’re suddenly distracted by a colleague, a ringing phone or the neighbor’s dog.
You can learn to concentrate
There is no concentration anymore and although you might think that such an interruption only lasts a few minutes and therefore has little impact on your working day, the opposite is true. According to ‘The Cost of Interrupted Work’, not only is there an 18% chance that you will postpone your interrupted task to another day, but it would also take an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to resume the task.
However, the scientists also found that those who are used to being constantly interrupted while working adapt their way of working. They usually work faster to compensate for the time they will lose in the future. Sounds positive, but it is anything but. People with this way of working have a higher workload, more frustrations, more stress.
Shielding yourself as much as possible from all kinds of distractions while at work therefore seems to be the best way to be productive and avoid stress. A few hours of focused work per day could boost your entire work experience and general productivity.
