A quieter way to work

There is a category of work that cannot be done in twenty-minute gaps. Design, writing, and anything that requires holding several ideas at once needs an uninterrupted runway.

The fix is unglamorous: fewer meetings, later notifications, and a clear signal to everyone else that you are unavailable for a stretch of the day.

Protecting three good hours beats reclaiming eight fragmented ones. Most people can do their best work in a morning if nobody interrupts it.

Start by defending one block a day. Do it for two weeks before you decide whether it worked.