If you want to keep your attention on your work, there is one important maxim to remember: every time you switch your attention, you are off. Reading an email, sending an app to a friend - it all causes a temporary loss of focus.

Yet these types of external factors are only one of the four "concentration leaks" Mark Tigchelaar identifies.

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Drooling: drawing without clear purpose

If we want to work focused, the first thing that matters is that a task is challenging enough, otherwise our attention quickly wanders. That, according to Tigchelaar, is one reason why many people start drooling during phone calls: drawing or sketching without a clear purpose. "In fact, that increases our concentration," he says.

Also important: taking adequate breaks. According to Tigchelaar, this is what goes wrong the most. 'During breaks, we quickly feed ourselves with new information, by listening to podcasts or Netflixing, for example.' But in fact, we then only numb our brains. 'Only when we consciously wander off, for example by staring outside or taking a walk, do we really recharge.'

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Agreeing on accessibility

In the workplace, reachability is often confused with productivity. 'By always being reachable, employees want to show: look, I'm working hard, I'm not doing nothing.' Yet every message on Slack immediately takes you out of concentration. It is therefore wise to make agreements about reachability, says Tigchelaar.

How? By setting up one channel on which you can always be reached, for example. 'I always respond to phone calls or text messages, so if something is really urgent, my colleagues can reach me there,' says Tigchelaar. According to him, it is 'absurd' how much time we spend on our work. 'Fortunately there is a counter-movement going on. In France, for example, employers are prohibited by law from sending work e-mails after seven in the evening. Those who work sixty hours a week are driving on an empty tank.'

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The tips from this podcast:

1. Get to know your own head; be aware of your concentration leaks; make sure your task is challenging enough
2. Make arrangements within a company or organization about reachability, such as by setting dayparts when no response is required
3. When you take breaks, really recharge your head; don't feed yourself with new information, including podcasts or text messages

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Relevant links:

https://adios.ai/ - tool that ensures you get your email in at just three times a day

https://focusaan.nl/ - Mark Tigchelaar's book on how to get more done in a world full of distractions