Managing Workplace Interruptions

In 2008, Michael Phelps won Olympic GOLD - completely blind. The moment he dove in, his goggles filled with water. But he kept swimming. Most swimmers would’ve fallen apart. Phelps didn’t - because he had trained for chaos, hundreds of times. His coach, Bob Bowman, would break his goggles, remove clocks, exhaust him deliberately. Why? Because when you train under stress, performance becomes instinct. Psychologists call this stress inoculation. When you expose yourself to small, manageable stress: - Your amygdala (fear centre) becomes less reactive. - Your prefrontal cortex (logic centre) stays calmer under pressure. Phelps had rehearsed swimming blind so often that it felt normal. He knew the stroke count. He hit the wall without seeing it. And won GOLD by 0.01 seconds. The same science is why: - Navy SEALs tie their hands and practice underwater survival. - Astronauts simulate system failures in zero gravity. - Emergency responders train inside burning buildings. And you can build it too. Here’s how: ✅ Expose yourself to small discomforts. Take cold showers. Wake up 30 minutes earlier. Speak up in meetings. The goal is to build confidence that you can handle hard things. ✅ Use quick stress resets. Try cyclic sighing: Inhale deeply through your nose. Take a second small inhale. Exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat 3-5 times to calm your system fast. ✅ Strengthen emotional endurance. Instead of avoiding difficult conversations, hard tasks, or feedback - lean into them. Facing small emotional challenges trains you for bigger ones later. ✅ Celebrate small victories. Every time you stay calm, adapt, or keep going under pressure - recognise it. These tiny wins are building your mental "muscle memory" for resilience. As a new parent, I know my son Krish will face his own "goggles-filled-with-water" moments someday. So the best I can do is model resilience myself. Because resilience isn’t gifted - it’s trained. And when you train your brain for chaos, you can survive anything. So I hope you do the same. If this made you pause, feel free to repost and share the thought. #healthandwellness #mentalhealth #stress

Please stop pinging me on Teams… Then following up on WhatsApp… To check if I saw your email… From twenty minutes ago. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲. We’re not in a crisis, we’re caught in a 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲. We’ve normalised hyper-responsiveness. We’re building work cultures on constant digital disruption. And it’s costing us: clarity, performance, and wellbeing. This is the urgency fallacy in action: the illusion that everything is both urgent and important. Why? We have Palaeolithic brains trying to navigate modern tech. Brains designed to hunt and forage at a natural cadence are now (constantly) bombarded by unsolicited alerts, red notification bubbles and digital noise that hijacks our attention. 🔴 Red = danger. Your brain doesn’t know it’s just another Teams ping. It reads it as a threat. It triggers the same stress response as if a tiger were chasing you. (Let’s be honest, some days…our Teams’ notifications feel like a tiger chasing us.) Here’s the truth: 🧠 Our Human Operating System (hOS) hasn’t evolved at the speed of our digital tools. We’re not wired to be always-on, nor are we designed to be distracted all day long. Every interruption drains cognitive energy (depletes our glucose), increases cortisol and fragments our focus. Boundaries aren’t resistance. They’re self-leadership. Let’s stop mistaking responsivity for value. Let’s stop confusing speed with impact. Your best work won’t come from urgency. It will come from clarity. Want to future-proof your team’s performance? Articulate your 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 which are your team’s agreed digital norms, practices and principles that underpin hybrid work. Have clear “𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡-𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬” about responsiveness and establish a communication escalation plan so when there are legitimate, urgent issues, there’s a clearly delineated and understood path for escalating them, if the situation arises (hint, in most instances if something is really urgent a good old-fashioned phone call is often best.) I teach this inside my keynotes, performance workshops and with my Executive Coaching. Ready to shift your culture? #Leadership #WorkplacePerformance #DigitalWellbeing #HumanOperatingSystem #NeuroLeadership #SpaciousSuccess

Most people speak of mental resilience as if it is something you either have or do not have. In my experience, it is something you build. Quietly. Consistently. Intentionally. One of the most effective practices I return to, especially in challenging times, is gratitude. Not the kind reserved for good days or milestone moments. The kind that requires you to pause during discomfort and still find something meaningful in the moment you are experiencing. Every challenge offers a choice. You can remain in self-pity and frustration, replaying what went wrong. Or you can dig deep and choose to look inward, finding just one reason to be thankful. This is not an exercise in denying reality. It is a shift in perspective. It is the decision to notice what still remains, rather than what has been lost. Over time, I have seen this practice become easier. Your mind learns to reflect, to trace moments that may have gone unnoticed, and to appreciate people, lessons, and experiences that brought depth even in discomfort. Gratitude does not change the situation. It changes how you move through it. Resilience is built in those quiet moments of intentional reflection. It is reinforced every time you choose awareness over reaction. What is one thing you are grateful for today? #Leadership #Mindset #Growth #Gratitude

We have normalised the abnormal. And it’s to our detriment. Companies and individuals alike seem to think that it should be accepted to work with constant interruptions and distractions. Radical point of view here: It’s not! The key to productivity isn't doing MORE – more tasks, more meetings, more apps for tracking metrics and deliverables, ANOTHER SPEADSHEET… It’s knowing when to step back and disconnect. A digital detox, if you will. I can tell you with full confidence, after 2 decades being around high performers and executives, that those who achieve the most in their fields are those who aren’t always accessible. Why? They're the ones who deliberately create space for deep work. The science backs this up: achieving flow state—that magical zone where work feels effortless and time melts away—requires three things: → Work that energizes you → Deep focus → The ability to work on the task without interruption How can you achieve all 3 when you’re dealing with yet another Teams notification or Slack message? Each of these interruptions is sacrificing your most valuable resource: your attention. A single interruption costs you not just the seconds to check it, but the additional 23 minutes to fully regain your concentration. My advice? Schedule "meetings of one" with yourself. Block your calendar, silence notifications, and communicate your unavailability just as you would during any other important meeting. Use this time to tackle projects that will benefit from your full and undivided attention. I’m not saying to go full analogue and reject technology completely, but rather to decide to use it intentionally. When you protect your focus time, you can accomplish in 2 hours what might otherwise take an entire day. What's your strategy for creating focus time? Have you experienced the productivity boost that comes from strategic digital detox? #DigitalDetox #LinkedInNewsDACH #ProductivityHacks

Are you making more mistakes lately? Before you beat yourself up, consider this: It may not be incompetence. It may be switchtasking. Maybe you missed a detail in an email. Or forgot a simple next step. Or sent the wrong attachment. Or looked back at something and thought, “How did I miss that?” Switchtasking happens when we bounce between two or more attention-requiring tasks. And every time we switch, we pay a cost: lost time, lower-quality work, and more stress. After decades of teaching time management and productivity, I’ve seen this again and again: when intelligent people make obvious mistakes, switchtasking is often the real culprit, not a lack of ability. The goal is simple: Reduce the number of switches in your day. Here’s how to start: 1. Notice where the switches are happening. For one workday, pay attention to the moments when your attention gets pulled away. Email. Texts. Notifications. Random thoughts. Coworker interruptions. A dozen open tabs. Don’t judge the switches yet. Just notice them. 2. Stop using your mind as a gathering point. When a task pops into your head, capture it somewhere trusted instead of trying to remember it. Unresolved tasks create self-inflicted switchtasking. Your mind is for thinking, not storage. 3. Reduce your gathering points. A gathering point is any place where unresolved stuff collects—paper piles, inboxes, apps, messages, notes, sticky notes, browser tabs, and so on. The more gathering points you have, the more switching costs you pay. Work toward six or fewer approved gathering points. 4. Choose one place for each type of incoming work. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s fewer places to check, fewer things to remember, and fewer moments of “Where did I put that?” ✔️ One physical inbox. ✔️ One email inbox. ✔️ One primary messaging app. ✔️ One place for notes. 5. Protect focused time on your calendar. Don’t just hope focus happens. Schedule it. Then protect that time from anything that isn’t a true emergency. Create boundaries around your attention so you can focus on your most valuable activities. 6. Finish the thought before switching. Before you jump to the next message, tab, or task, pause and ask: “Can this wait until I finish what I’m doing?” Most of the time, it can. Reducing switchtasking doesn’t require a dramatic life overhaul. It starts with one fewer interruption. One fewer inbox. One fewer unnecessary switch. And those small reductions add up to more time, better work, and a calmer mind. What’s one switch you can eliminate today to reclaim some of that lost time? If you think this advice is helpful, please consider: 💾 Saving this post for future reference! ♻️ Sharing it with your network. 👉 Following me, Dave Crenshaw, for weekly tips on productivity and leadership.

One of the hardest balances to master as a leader is staying informed about your team’s work without crossing the line into micromanaging them. You want to support them, remove roadblocks, and guide outcomes without making them feel like you’re hovering. Here’s a framework I’ve found effective for maintaining that balance: 1. Set the Tone Early Make it clear that your intent is to support, not control. For example: “We’ll need regular updates to discuss progress and so I can effectively champion this work in other forums. My goal is to ensure you have what you need, to help where it’s most valuable, and help others see the value you’re delivering.” 2. Create a Cadence of Check-Ins Establish structured moments for updates to avoid constant interruptions. Weekly or biweekly check-ins with a clear agenda help: • Progress: What’s done? • Challenges: What’s blocking progress? • Next Steps: What’s coming up? This predictability builds trust while keeping everyone aligned. 3. Ask High-Leverage Questions Stay focused on outcomes by asking strategic questions like: • “What’s the biggest risk right now?” • “What decisions need my input?” • “What’s working that we can replicate?” This approach keeps the conversation productive and empowering. 4. Define Metrics and Milestones Collaborate with your team to define success metrics and use shared dashboards to track progress. This allows you to stay updated without manual reporting or extra meetings. 5. Empower Ownership Show your trust by encouraging problem-solving: “If you run into an issue, let me know your proposed solutions, and we’ll work through it together.” When the team owns their work, they’ll take greater pride in the results. 6. Leverage Technology Use tools like Asana, Jira, or Trello to centralize updates. Shared project platforms give you visibility while letting your team focus on execution. 7. Solicit Feedback Ask your team: “Am I giving you enough space, or would you prefer more or less input from me?” This not only fosters trust but also helps you refine your approach as a leader. Final Thought: Growing up playing sports, none of my coaches ever suited up and got in the game with the players on the field. As a leader, you should follow the same discipline. How do you stay informed without micromanaging? What would you add? #leadership #peoplemanagement #projectmanagement #leadershipdevelopment

I recently had a touch-base with a former client—let’s call him Ed. He arrived late, breathless, and immediately started boasting about how “crazy busy” he was. His narrative? His team couldn't manage their time; they were constantly falling behind, and they required his constant intervention just get their work done. I listened. I validated. Then I asked the question that usually gets awkward: “What role do you have in the team’s time management problem?” Silence. In my work consulting on workplace culture, I’ve found a consistent pattern: The more a leader blames others for systemic friction, the more likely they are the primary source of it. If your team is constantly behind, you are likely falling into one of these four leadership traps: 1️⃣ Priority Proliferation: If everything is a priority, nothing is. High-performing teams need 3–5 clear goals they can actually own. 2️⃣ The Pilot Complex: Stop trying to fly the plane. Your job is Air Traffic Control—provide the data and the clearance, then stay out of the cockpit. 3️⃣ Ambush Accountability: Feverish, impromptu check-ins aren't leadership; they’re interruptions. Use touchpoints that are scheduled and permission-based. 4️⃣ The Vulnerability Gap: Most leaders believe they are self-aware, but research shows a massive gap between how leaders perceive their impact and how teams actually experience it. When Ed finally zoomed out, he realized his team wasn't incompetent—they were exhausted. His constant support was actually micromanagement that stripped them of their autonomy. The next time you’re tempted to blame your team’s schedule, look in the mirror. The problem usually isn’t a lack of hours in the day—it’s a lack of clarity and trust from the top. Have you ever had a mirror moment where you realized you were the bottleneck? Let's discuss in the comments. #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #TimeManagement

Your phone buzzes at 9 PM with an “urgent” message. The next morning brings three “quick questions” that each require more time than expected. By noon, your day is no longer yours. You are reacting to notifications instead of focusing on the work that actually moves the organization forward. Many leaders assume this is simply the cost of being accessible. In reality, it is often the result of something far simpler: unclear communication expectations. During my research studying high achievers, I noticed that the most effective leaders approach communication very differently. They do not just manage their time. They design how others communicate with them. They set expectations early so their teams know when something is an update, when a response is needed, and what truly counts as urgent. When those expectations are missing, everything feels urgent to the sender and interruptive to the receiver. When they are clear, communication becomes faster, more thoughtful, and far less disruptive. 📱 In the newest issue of The Success Factor newsletter, I share the simple leadership system high performers use to prevent constant interruptions and protect time for strategic work. If your calendar often feels controlled by other people’s messages, this issue may resonate with you. Read the full newsletter below. 👇 If you find it valuable, please consider subscribing so you never miss an issue of The Success Factor. ✨

We have forgotten how to wait. Think about the last time you stood in line while boarding a plane, waited for an elevator, or sat alone in a cafeteria. What did you do? Within three seconds, your hand likely made a familiar, unconscious journey to your pocket, and your thumb began its daily marathon of scrolling. We treat every micro-moment of stillness or boredom as an emergency that needs to be cured instantly by a glowing screen. But by drowning out every quiet gap in our day, we are quietly sacrificing: - Mindfulness: Constant scrolling numbs our situational awareness. We look down at a screen instead of looking up at the world. - Self-Control: Giving in to every micro-urge to check a notification trains our brains to expect instant gratification. - Solitude: True solitude is a superpower. It is the ability to be comfortably alone with your thoughts. When we rely on phones, we treat being alone as a threat. Choosing to just be in a world that constantly demands your attention is an act of quiet rebellion. Next time you are in a transition moment, try one of these micro-habits: - The Physical Barrier: Keep your phone zipped in your bag, not in your hand. Friction breaks the reflex. - The 10-Breath Anchor: Count 10 deep breaths before you allow yourself to touch your phone. - Protect Your Meals: No screens while eating - whether with colleagues or alone. The world is happening right in front of you. Don't miss it for a headline you won't remember tomorrow. #Mindfulness #SelfControl #PersonalDevelopment #DigitalDetox #MentalWellbeing

More than 4 in 10 cybersecurity responders report extreme or considerable mental strain after handling major incidents. (IBM Incident Responder Study) I’ve seen that strain up close: the sleepless nights, the constant vigilance, the fear of missing a single alert that could trigger chaos. Behind every cyber incident, there’s a human being trying to stay calm when everything else is falling apart. That’s why I keep coming back to one simple question: Does cognitive resilience really matter? Cognitive resilience is what allows teams to stay steady under pressure, to think clearly when alarms are blaring, to recover quickly after setbacks, and to keep leading when others freeze. When we design cybersecurity exercises, we don’t just test systems, we test people. We simulate chaos, but in a safe space. We help teams experience the stress, learn to steady their minds, and build confidence before the real crisis arrives. For leaders and responders alike, investing in cognitive resilience isn’t optional; it’s essential. It’s how you turn stress into strength, and panic into purposeful, strategic action. So, I’ll leave you with this thought, When the pressure’s on, how prepared is your team? (Video captured during a demo session at a Cybersecurity Lab.)