Avoid Interruptions - GO Get Organised

The 23-Minute Rule: Why Every Interruption Is Costing You More Than You Think

Let’s talk about something that’s happening to you right now, probably multiple times a day, and costing you a huge amount of time without you even realising it: interruptions.  We all have them!

Not the obvious ones – not the hour-long meetings or the unexpected phone calls. I’m talking about:

  • the ping of an email
  • the quick question from someone
  • the invoice you just remembered you need to chase
  • the parcel you need to sort.

The thing that takes “two minutes” but somehow messes up the next forty.

Here’s the stat that stopped me in my tracks when I first heard it: according to research by Dr Gloria Mark at the University of California1, it takes an average of 23 minutes to fully regain your focus after an interruption.

Twenty-three minutes – for a two-minute task!
Now multiply that by the number of times you’re pulled away from deep work on any given day. It adds up fast!

23 Minute Interruption rule - Virtual Assistance

Interruptions: it’s not just about time

The problem isn’t just the minutes lost. It’s the mental energy. Every time you switch context – from the thing you were working on, to the thing that just landed in your inbox, and back again – your brain has to re-load. That’s exhausting. And it’s why so many business owners end a full day’s work feeling like they’ve achieved absolutely nothing.  I think we have all been there!

The tasks that eat your focus are rarely the important ones either. They’re the admin. The form filling. The emails that need sending. The returns that need sorting. Necessary, yes. But they don’t need to be done by you.

So what’s the fix?

The most effective thing you can do is remove the interruption entirely. Not manage it better. Remove it.

That means having someone else handle the low-level tasks that are pulling you out of your flow – so your brain gets to stay in the zone where you actually do your best work and move your business forward.

That’s exactly what the GO Get Organised team does. We take the stuff off your plate that doesn’t need to be on it – so your 23 minutes stay yours.

Is it time for you to GO Get Organised?!

Get in touch to see how we can help…

1. https://busylight.com/reducing-workplace-stress-how-status-indicators-lower-interruption-anxiety/