Interruptions are a natural part of every workday — from urgent requests by managers and quick questions from colleagues, to last-minute meetings about pressing issues. Outside of work, life brings its own interruptions: confirming your attendance at a party, answering a call from the plumber, or speaking with a delivery person at your door. On top of that, apps compete for your attention with notifications about likes, deals, and breaking news.

All these external demands can quickly fill up your day. If you need to focus, a simple quick win is to deactivate notifications from apps. In your personal life, try to filter communications by quickly deciding whether something needs your immediate response or can wait until you’ve finished your current task. The same approach works at the office — create a personal gatekeeper to help you avoid saying "yes" to meetings where your input isn’t essential. You can also set aside dedicated time after completing important tasks or between focused work blocks to handle shorter interactions with your team.

If you finish your week feeling like you didn’t accomplish much, start noticing when and how interruptions occur. There’s no magic fix, but with ongoing experimentation, you can rediscover the focus you may have lost over time.