The Attention Crisis
The average person is interrupted every 11 minutes. It takes 23 minutes to get back into a state of 'Deep Work' after an interruption.
3 Pillars of Sustained Focus
1. Environmental Control: If your phone is in the same room, your focus is lower—even if it's off. Put it in another room.
2. Monotasking: The brain does not 'multitask'; it rapidly switches context. Each switch has a 'switching cost' that drains your mental energy.
3. Internal Inhibitory Control: Practice the '10-minute rule.' When you feel the urge to check a notification, tell yourself you will do it in 10 minutes. By then, the urge usually passes.