Handling interruptions and picking the thread back up

The reality

In most working contexts, total isolation is impossible. So the aim is not zero interruptions: it is reducing the cost of each one.

A reminder from chapter 1: the main cost is not how long the interruption lasts, it is the attention residue it leaves behind.

The ten-second protocol

When someone interrupts you, before switching over to them:

1. Write the next action in three words. Finish para 2 example. Two seconds.
2. Leave the cursor exactly where the work is. Close nothing, switch no tabs.
3. Take one full breath. It marks the transition.

Those three gestures bring recovery time down from several minutes to under one. It is the best effort-to-benefit ratio in the whole chapter.