Unscheduled quick calls destroy deep work

“Got time for a quick call?” No. It’s never quick.

The visible cost: 10 minutes on the phone. The real cost: 15-20 minutes to rebuild focus after, plus the anxiety beforehand if it’s scheduled. One “quick call” can kill an hour of deep work.

Context switching destroys productivity. You’re not just stopping work—you’re dismantling the mental scaffolding you built. Every complex thought requires holding multiple concepts in working memory. An interruption collapses that structure.

This is why Defaulting to No for unscheduled calls protects deep work. Every request starts at no unless there’s a clear reason for yes. Protects the time that actually matters.

Most urgent calls aren’t urgent. They’re convenient for the person calling. Async communication handles 90% of what people think requires real-time conversation.

The hidden costs multiply:

• Anticipation steals focus before the call
• The call itself interrupts work
• Recovery time after rebuilding context
• Precedent setting—saying yes once creates future expectations

This connects to Externalizing thought builds a cognitive scaffold for solving complex problems. Building that scaffold requires sustained, uninterrupted focus. Calls shatter it.

Better approach: scheduled blocks for communication, async by default, clear emergency protocols. Protect the deep work time. Everything else can wait.

If you’re not a paying client, we probably won’t talk on the phone. Not personal. Just protecting what matters.