Introduction

Interruptions are a common occurrence in today's work environment, with negative effects on productivity, stress levels, and quality of work. Numerous studies have been conducted on the effects of interruptions, leading to the development of various systems to help people manage them. However, conflicting ideas exist on how interruptions affect work, and how to mitigate their negative impact. This paper explores the findings of an empirical study by Gloria Mark and colleagues[1] on the cost of interrupted work, and how LeanMail's next action and due date columns can enable focused work by allowing users to note next actions in a separate column next to the subject line and add a due date to the next column.

The Cost of Interrupted Work

Mark and colleagues found that interruptions do not necessarily affect the quality of work, but people complete interrupted tasks in less time, experiencing more stress, higher frustration, time pressure, and effort. These results...