Finding Focus in an Interrupted World | Capability @ Lunch Recap

Our world is noisier than ever. Emails multiply at an alarming rate, notifications demand our attention, and our minds are constantly switching between tasks. In a landscape defined by VUCA—volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—how do we maintain clarity, creativity, and quality in our thinking?

This was the focus of our first Capability @ Lunch session for 2025, delivered by the insightful Alannah Britz. Together, we explored how to reclaim our attention, reduce distractions, and cultivate deep focus in both our personal and professional lives.

The Overloaded Mind: Why We Struggle to Focus

A Harvard Business Review study revealed that in the 1970s, executives received about 1,000 messages per year. By the 2010s, this had ballooned to 30,000 messages—over 120 per workday. Our digital lives have created an expectation of constant speed and responsiveness, but at what cost?

Daniel J. Levitin, a neuroscientist and expert on technology, addiction, and productivity, and author of The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, explains that our brains are overloaded due to relentless multitasking, also referred to as ‘continuous partial attention’. This cognitive overload leads to stress, decision fatigue, and diminished focus.

Nancy Kline, author of The Promise That Changes Everything: I won’t interrupt you identifies five types of interruptions that disrupt our thinking:

1. Ourselves
2. Others
3. Occurrences
4. Assumptions
5. Systems

To regain control, we need to become aware of these interruptions and proactively manage them.

The Hidden Forces of Distraction

Beyond the obvious distractions of social media and emails, Alannah highlighted Kline’s work on deeper systemic interruptions:

Conformonomics – The illusion of choice in a world where decisions are often made for us. Shopping malls, banking services, and even online platforms present curated options that subtly shape our decisions. The key is to pause and ask, What do I really think? What do I really want?

Digistraction – Our digital devices have become extensions of ourselves. We cook with them, relax with them, even sleep and wake with them. While they provide convenience and connectivity, they also trigger dopamine and oxytocin responses designed to keep us hooked. Recognizing this helps us set intentional boundaries for technology use.

Persuasion & Polarisation – The rise of influencers and media-driven narratives constantly pull at our attention. Polarisation, a growing social phenomenon, thrives on disconnection. When we disengage from genuine conversation and label others as ‘wrong,’ we reinforce division and cloud our ability to think with quality.

Practical Strategies to Boost Focus

Alannah shared three ways we can boost our focus with five key tips:

1. Boosting Focus in the Moment

• Keep it fresh: Our brains toggle between two modes— the more task focussed, and more ‘free-thinking’ or resting wakefulness mode which each use different parts of the brain. Honour your brain’s rhythm by giving it breaks and switching modes when needed.
• Use your mind-body connection: Posture influences mental state. Try slouching as if looking at your phone, then sitting upright and looking at the sky. Notice the difference? Aligning our body posture and opening up our view can help reset stress levels and freshen our thinking.

2. Setting Yourself Up for Success

• Hone your attention & chunk down tasks: Multitasking is a myth. Dr. Levitin warns that constant task-switching spikes cortisol and adrenaline, leading to decision fatigue. Instead, break tasks down and ask yourself, What is my next smallest action?
• Rest and recharge: True rest extends beyond sleep. We need physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, sensory, social, and creative rest to function at our best.

3. Creating an Environment for Focus

• Open up space for deep thinking: Nancy Kline’s Thinking Environment outlines 10 components for fostering generative, independent thinking. Checking in with yourself, and shaping a conducive environment for others will help produce quality thought to drive quality action.

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If you enjoyed this session or found this post intriguing and want to find out more about how you can be your best self, sign up to one of Alannah’s upcoming Building Resilience at Work programmes.

What’s Next?

Our next Capability @ Lunch session will explore digital accessibility—an essential topic in today’s work environment. Click here to register.

These sessions are proudly brought to you by Kāpuhipuhi Wellington Uni-Professional in partnership with Hāpai Public (formerly IPANZ).

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