A few years ago, Hewlett-Packard conducted an interesting study. They wanted to understand how distracted their employees were at work. What they found was quite surprising: on average, workers were getting distracted every three minutes. A ping, a notification, a colleague — something always broke their focus.
But the real kicker? These constant distractions actually reduced people’s IQs — by 10 points.
To put that into perspective: smoking marijuana lowers your IQ by 5 points.
So statistically, you’d be better off getting high than getting distracted all day at work!
Right now, I’m writing this from a tiny island in Fiji.
Cameron is back from Holland for three weeks, where he’s been playing professional football (or “soccer” as we call it in Australia). We thought we’d spend some quality time together — and instead of just hanging out in Sydney, we decided to take a proper adventure: a week in Fiji with TK and Cam.
To give you a sense of where we are: we flew four hours from Sydney, then took another flight to a remote island called Taveuni. And this morning? We jumped on a boat with a local spearfisherman and rode out for an hour and a half into the middle of the ocean. Literally nowhere — just us, the sea, and the fish.
A couple of days ago, we went on another spearfishing day trip. We left at 5:30 in the morning, pitch black. I told TK, “We’ll be back sometime in the afternoon.” I should have know better. We finally returned after 6:30pm — also pitch black. We’d been away for nearly 13 hours and in the water spearfishing for 9 or 10 hours, and honestly, I didn’t see the time pass. You know that feeling when you’re so absorbed in what you’re doing that time just disappears?
nish mackerel. The group was awesome and I’m already dreaming of the next trip (to be negotiated with my lovely wife, of course). But this isn’t just a fishing story — it’s a reminder:
That’s called flow. And it’s not just a nice feeling — it’s actually a state of high performance. When you’re in flow:
- Productivity increases by up to 5x
- And there’s a huge increase in joy and fulfilment
But let’s be real: creating flow at work isn’t easy.
So here are a few things that have helped me (and I’m far from perfect, by the way!):
1. Book Meetings With Yourself
Literally go into your calendar and block time — but be specific. Write down exactly what you’re going to focus on and when. I treat these meetings with myself as seriously as meetings with anyone else.
2. Protect Yourself From Distraction
When I want deep focus, I switch off my phone and hide it. I find a space where I won’t be interrupted. It’s not about being rigid — it’s about creating the conditions for clarity and momentum.
3. Create a Little Ritual
Here’s mine:
- Plan – I grab pen and paper and write down exactly what I’m aiming to do.
- Create – I get stuck into the work, no editing or judgement, just flow.
- Edit – I review and improve whatever I’ve created.
This simple structure helps me get into flow much more easily — and makes the work far more enjoyable.
So my question for you is: How focused are you at work? Or how distracted? And what small changes could you make to boost your focus — and with it, your productivity and joy?
This is this week’s Work Smarter: Live Better tip.
Hope you have a beautiful and lovely day!
A bientôt,
Cyril
