How often does this happen to you — you’re deep in concentration, working on something important, when suddenly someone pops their head in and says, “Hey, can I grab two minutes of your time?”
In today’s modern workplace, this has become the norm.
We work in open-plan offices, where it’s easy for anyone to walk over and chat.
We carry mobile phones, making it effortless for someone to call us.
We’re connected to instant messaging tools that ping constantly.
So interruptions are everywhere.
But here’s the real question: is that the biggest problem?
In this video, I want to share three simple tips to protect your focus and boost your performance.
When I work with leaders in medium and large companies, one of the most common complaints I hear is: “I just can’t focus — I’m constantly being interrupted.”
On the surface, it feels true. Someone from your team has a “quick question,” a stakeholder needs something urgently, or a client calls unexpectedly. Individually, each interruption seems small… but add them up, and they become a huge drain on your productivity.
Yet when we look at the research, here’s what’s surprising: only 20% of broken concentration comes from other people.
A massive 80% comes from… ourselves.
That 80%? That’s what I call distraction:
Interruption: Caused by someone else pulling your attention away.
Distraction: Caused by you pulling your own attention away.
Here’s how it plays out: You’re working on a report and suddenly think, “Oh, I forgot to reply to that email.” And just like that… you’re gone.
Or you’re writing a proposal and see the word “expenses,” and you think, “I still need to file mine.” Boom — you’ve derailed yourself.
Author Nir Eyal, in his excellent book Indistractable, puts it perfectly:
“Distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.”
What he means is that when you’re working on something challenging, your brain looks for an escape.
And it’s easy to justify — “I’ll just check my emails” — but really, you’re avoiding discomfort.
Here are three strategies that I’ve seen work again and again:
1. Build awareness.
Catch yourself in the act. The next time you feel that urge to “just check something,” pause and notice that you’re escaping the hard work.
2. Keep a distraction pad.
When a thought pops into your head — an email you need to send, an errand you need to run — don’t act on it. Write it down on paper to get it out of your mind without breaking your focus.
3. Capture, don’t groom.
Capturing means writing it down, then going straight back to your task. Grooming is when you start organising it, planning when to do it, or thinking through the details — which just creates a bigger distraction.
So, my question to you is: Are you blaming others for your lack of focus… when in reality, you might be your own biggest distraction?
This is this week’s Work Smarter: Live Better tip.
Here’s to protecting your focus — and boosting your performance.
Hope you have a lovely day!
A bientôt,
Cyril
