You’ve probably heard the term “focus time” in conversations about productivity—or at least its trendier buzzword moniker, “monk mode.” But what is focus time, really?
At its core, focus time refers to a designated block or period of an employee’s day reserved for uninterrupted, heads-down work. This guide explores why we get distracted, the benefits of focused time, and how to help your employees get more done.
A Quick Introduction to Focus Time
Focus time, also known as focus blocks, focus periods, or monk mode, refers to periods of purposefully uninterrupted work time free of endless meetings and unscheduled events. The idea is to give employees the time and mental space to concentrate on their work without distraction.
Even when scheduled by employees, focus blocks are typically for individual tasks rather than collaborative projects.
If someone schedules a focus period, they’re communicating a desire not to be disturbed—no meetings, no calls (unless it’s an emergency), and no constant pinging from Slack or their inbox. In fact, you turn off Slack entirely during active focus blocks.
Why Do Employees Have a Hard Time Focusing at Work?
Energy, focus, and motivation are essential for producing high-quality work. However, when employees feel lethargic, distracted, or unable to concentrate, their productivity inevitably takes a hit.
There are many reasons why employees may have a hard time focusing at work. For some, this might mean hunger or poor sleep, while others might be feeling overwhelmed, unhappy, or burnt out. Distractions like these are constant throughout the workday, whether your team is working remotely or back in the office. Some of the most common culprits include:
- Jumping in and out of meetings
- Frequently checking social media
- Sorting through relevant and irrelevant emails
- Browsing news websites
- Answering personal calls or messages
Constant communication with colleagues is another surefire way to interrupt an employee’s flow. Data from 2023 indicates that “the average worker spends 3 hours and 43 minutes a day communicating via emails, messaging, video, or phone calls.” That’s nearly half of a standard workday spent on communication alone—not much time left for heads-down working if you consider the rest of the distractions above.
An Unlikely Distraction: Context Switching
Context switching refers to hopping between different apps, tasks, and projects. It’s unavoidable, and we all do it. But it’s a common distraction from focused work time. Yep, even working can give employees a hard time focusing. Bouncing from one task to the next makes it difficult for employees to focus and concentrate on one project, resulting in less productivity and costing the company money.
Every time you switch from checking your inbox to working on a project, from asking a question to updating your meeting notes, your brain needs to switch gears. The human brain isn’t really capable of multitasking. It just switches between tasks, and each switch takes time and energy.
Is multitasking on your resume? Just don’t believe us? Here’s what the NeuroLeadership Institute has to say on the subject:
“The human brain is actually incapable of completing more than one cognitive task at a time. Instead, it rapidly switches back and forth among competing tasks, resulting in what’s known as a ‘switch cost,’ a delay that happens when the brain stores information related to an abandoned task and redirects its attention to a new one.”
Now consider that, according to Asana’s 2023 Anatomy of Work Index, the average worker switches between 10 apps per day. That’s a lot of time lost to context-switching. The solution is focus time. Blocks of time dedicated to heads-down work allow your brain to stop context-switching and get stuff done. No emails. No apps. Just work.
What Are the Benefits of Focus Time?
If your team struggles to meet deadlines or has difficulty focusing on work, incorporating focus time into their daily routine can make a difference. It’s essential to respect these focus blocks—no meetings, calls, emails, or messaging—so they can concentrate and get their work done.
Here are some of the many benefits of having dedicated focus periods:
Improved Concentration
Encouraging employees to set aside focus periods when they’re not expected to engage with colleagues helps them settle into a productive rhythm. With fewer interruptions and distractions, they can concentrate better on the task at hand, which means more effective, sustained productivity.
Better Time Management
It might seem like employees who are prone to distraction just need to learn how to focus on work. In reality, many of these same employees could easily list several tips for staying focused at work. The trick is providing them with the right environment and schedule to truly concentrate.
Assigning focus blocks to different tasks can also be helpful. Employees can get through their work faster by dedicating their focus periods to working on one task at a time.
For example, let’s say an employee typically spends a couple of hours each day on emails. Setting aside an hour of focus time in the morning dedicated to email tasks may help them streamline the process. With fewer distractions and regular focus periods, they can often finish each task faster.
Increased Productivity
Focus time allows employees to complete their tasks more quickly. Some people get more done in a single focused hour of dedicated action than they would in an entire distracted workday.
Consider Parkinson’s Law, which is the idea that work expands to fill the time allotted to it. In other words, a task that might have taken you an entire day can often be completed in a couple of hours if that’s all the time you have for it.
When you give your employees more time on a project, they tend to take it and stretch the project out over more days or weeks than necessary. With regular focus periods, they’re encouraged to finish what needs to be done quickly, and they have the brain power to make it happen.
Higher Quality of Work
Eliminating distractions allows employees to enter a state of flow. Flow happens when they’re fully immersed in a task and can achieve peak productivity and creativity. In a flow state, their attention is entirely focused on what they’re doing, leading to higher-quality work.
With constant interruptions and distractions that dilute their attention, employees can produce more thoughtful, refined results, elevating their overall productivity and quality of work.
What’s the Easiest Way To Implement Focus Time?
Focus time isn’t hard to implement. Despite the benefits of focus blocks and all the reasons employees get distracted, it’s pretty simple to get started.
Here are some basic steps to introduce focus time to your workplace:
- Designate specific focus times: Choose a couple of regular times for focus periods each day and communicate this to your team. Depending on your organization, these blocks might range from 30 to 90 minutes each.
- Eliminate interruptions: During focused work time, ask employees to mute notifications, close unnecessary apps, and avoid checking Slack or emails. Ensure you don’t schedule meetings or calls during this time, too.
- Encourage single-tasking: Remember, the human brain can’t actually multitask—remind your team of this fact and ask them to focus on one task at a time.
- Lead by example: Get everyone involved, including the organization’s leaders, to set a good example.
- Keep things calm: Ensure your team has a quiet, distraction-free environment where they can concentrate.
Can Team Building Help Employees Stay Focused and Productive at Work?
While team building offers tons of perks—improved workplace culture and increased happiness, to name a few—one of its most significant benefits is increased productivity. When employees feel more connected to their colleagues and build trust within their teams, their focus and productivity naturally spikes.
Strategic team building activities offer fantastic ways to help employees reconnect with the company’s goals and gain new perspectives on how their individual tasks contribute to the bigger picture. At TeamBonding, we specialize in bringing teams together with a variety of activities that can drive focus and productivity.
One such activity, Squad Game, is a fun twist on the ever-popular Netflix special Squid Game. Each participant must stay focused, collaborate, and respond in ways that strengthen the group’s collective abilities.
Ready to Level Up Your Employees with TeamBonding?
Many of today’s fast-paced work environments are filled with constant distractions and interruptions. The ability to focus and make progress is essential for producing high-quality work.
There are proactive steps employers can take to ensure their teams stay focused, creative, and productive, like implementing focus time. We might be a bit biased here (gotta keep it real), but we’ve seen this work even better when organizations also host team building activities to promote better time management skills.
Are you ready to expand your team’s potential? TeamBonding’s carefully planned activities can boost professional development, improve time management, and keep your teams happy. Contact us today to make it happen.
