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Limiting Slack Access for a Week in an Effort to Improve Focus

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Has there ever been a day at work that seemed to be filled with interruptions? My colleagues and I were dealing with a similar situation three months ago. No matter how hard we tried, everyone’s productivity was at risk due to the constant barrage of pings and notifications as well as FOMO. We tried blocking Slack at specific times of the day out of desperation, which felt almost blasphemous in today’s linked environment.

It would be an understatement to say that the results were surprising. Let me explain our experience and the results of turning off the digital noise.

Our Lives in the Digital Terrorscape

Before our experiment started, our workdays were a hellscape of notifications at rhythm, with apps continually vying for our attention while we were immersed in work. A fresh notification would appear every few minutes, which made it much more difficult to focus. A rapid sand of micro-disruptions was created by anything from Slack messages to emails, texts, and app alerts.

It takes about 23 minutes for someone to completely refocus after being interrupted, according to research. We were operating below our cognitive peak since notifications were coming in at predetermined intervals. I was told by one team member that it had been months since they had been in a real flow state.

I found it really simple to become caught up in an unpleasant cycle: checking Slack, working for five minutes, and then checking Slack again. This cycle made no sense because there was no reason to check Slack, yet it had become second nature to me.

The “Slack Blocked” Experiment’s Design

Instead than starting from scratch, we adopted a more methodical strategy:

  • Slack-free zones for email and Slack were established for two 2-hour “deep work” blocks, which took place daily from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Clear “emergency” procedures were set up, limiting phone calls to life-or-death emergencies.
  • An app was used to track the amount of time spent working intently versus being distracted.
  • Over the course of the one-week experiment, work time was recorded using an already-existing app. Later, more on that.
  • Daily experiences were recorded in a group journal, which significantly boosted involvement.

Sharing experiences is simple, but it also presents the risk of potential laziness. Automatic responses describing attention blocks and turnaround time expectations were included to the experiment to counteract the idea of laziness.

The Unexpected Results

The first day was difficult, to admit. Many of us nevertheless routinely reach for Slack 15–20 times during the restricted hours, according to the Controlio time tracking software, which monitors our concentration time! However, on the third day, something extraordinary began to take place.

We observed that our concentrate sessions were getting longer. Tasks that had previously taken a full day to complete were completed in a single focus session. In relation to the quantity of work accomplished, team members reported feeling less mentally exhausted at the end of the day.

What caught my attention the most? The most noteworthy finding was a 37% increase in completed activities during the trial week when compared to the preceding weekly average. There were less revisions made to the writing, more inventive solutions were generated, and the overall quality of the code had increased.

We were surprised not just by the growth in production but also by the improvement in the quality of the work. We were able to breathe and address our best-thinking problems because we had uninterrupted concentration time.

The Unexpected Difficulties

However, everything was not flawlessly constructed. A few unanticipated issues surfaced:

  • Delegated decision bottlenecks: Because everyone had to wait for the next communication window before speaking, certain choices that could have been resolved in a few minutes using Slack took a half day.
  • Anxiety spikes: During the first several days, a portion of the team had real anxiety, constantly wondering about what they might be missing during their allotted time.
  • Meeting creep: We began observing a trend of setting up more meetings to address issues that were previously handled by chat because Slack was not providing prompt answers.

In this instance, we enhanced the strategy rather than doing away with it. The “adjusted focus time” structure is said to significantly improve employee performance, according to the top 20 employee time tracking applications and software in 2025. Although it has been demonstrated that focused work increases employee productivity, setting deadlines for when everyone must work in focus does come under the dictate category. It frequently takes two to three weeks for firms that need organized focus time to align their workflow and culture.

What Sets Us Apart Modified Foundation blocks are now permanently incorporated into the workflow.

Every day, each employee will participate in a 90-minute concentration meeting.

Using a shared calendar, each team member can reserve specific times for personal attention.

Participants are advised that responses may take one to two hours during our slow response hours, during which Slack is permitted.

We now address several subjects in fewer messages rather than just one item per communication.

We have altered most in terms of culture. As a company, we no longer demand responses in a matter of minutes. Instead, we value time spent working intently.

Conclusion 

Our experience showed us that putting communication tools in their right position rather than giving them up is the answer. Slack isn’t the bad guy; rather, the problem is our unquestioned tendencies to be always connected.

We have found balance as a team by setting limits for in-depth work while maintaining effective communication. Stress levels have decreased, productivity has increased, and—perhaps most importantly—people now truly value their work.

Consider a diluted version of our experiment if your team is overwhelmed by an endless barrage of notifications. Begin with blocking communications for an hour every day, then assess the results and adjust according to your findings. Many teams may surpass expectations if given the chance to focus.

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