After a call, it is easy to open email “for a minute” and lose the rest of the work block. The problem is not necessarily discipline. Your attention must close one context and load another.
A seven-minute transition
- Record the meeting decisions.
- List only your commitments.
- Assign them a date or place.
- Close the meeting materials.
- Stand up and take a brief pause.
- Open the file for the next task.
- Complete one five-minute action.
Before the meeting, leave a landing strip:
After the call, open the calculation and check rows 20–40.
This removes a new decision when attention is already tired.
If meetings fragment the entire day, look beyond an individual trick. Consider batching calls, protecting meeting-free blocks, and requiring clearer agendas.
For returning after any interruption, see how to return to a task. For messages, read how to protect focus from notifications.