The top three culprits that sabotage focus work are distractions, interference, and interruptions. They come in the form of external influences, like people or activities around you, or internal stressors, like hunger and fatigue. All of these can disrupt your brain’s ability to focus.

When unexpected, off-task information captures our attention

When off-task information gets confused with task information

When a distraction or interference pulls us off a task entirely to start a new task.

Science tells us there is no one size fits all solution: Building a workplace strategy to include insulating focus work starts with organizational culture to understand what people value. Then, carefully consider the overall arrangement and adjacency of the various activity zones—from quiet to active—in the floorplate.

Culture is the personality of an organization, comprised of values, assumptions, and artifacts. It is embodied in space design because the space communicates what is valued.

Building a workplace strategy to include insulating focus work starts with culture. It involves identifying and addressing how cultural norms, the overall built environment, and supportive technology all influence each other.

1. Organizational Culture

2. Norms

3. Legible Spaces

4. Technology

Based on our acoustics research, noise levels for an organization are the top consideration in designing spaces. Floorplate, adjacency features and workspace characteristics should communicate where specific work activities can take place, effectively managing auditory and visual distractions and interference. Carefully consider overall arrangement and adjacency of the various activity zones—from quiet to active—in the floorplate.

1. Quiet Zones

2. Active Zones

3. Workstyles

4. Unassigned Private Spaces

5. Confidential Speech

6. Absorptive Materials

7. Visual Barriers

8. Visual Orientation

9. User Control

10. Recharge Spaces