As an neurodivergent person, and a keynote speaker who talks about neurodiversity in the workplace, one thing I really wish people understood better is how differently people can experience the same phenomenon.
Few examples will be as widely relatable and agreed upon by neurodivergent people, as the human experience of being interrupted.
Every interruption requires all of us, neurodivergent or not, to stop what we were doing and refocus ourselves on something else. We call this context switching. But for neurodivergent people, the experience can be significantly more disruptive.
Context Switching
Context switching is when we shift our attention between different tasks, apps, or projects. It’s harmful to our work, making us less productive and more stressed. (Source: Context switching is killing your productivity, Asana)
Context switching has been shown to be difficult and cognitively costly for all human beings. Studies have shown tremendous downsides for all people going from one thing to another. This includes…
- 20% of cognitive capacity is lost when context switching.
- It takes over 20 minutes to get back on track with a task after being interrupted.
- At least 45% of people are less productive while context switching.
Source: **Context Switching Is Destroying Your Workday: Here’s How to Fix It, Reclaim.ai blog**
So, clearly we can see that being interrupted is bad. But why is this worse for our neurodivergent colleagues and friends?
A dash of executive dysfunction
People who are autistic or have some variant of ADHD generally experience some form of executive dysfunction.
But what does that mean?
“In simplest terms, Executive Function means the ability to get stuff done (homework, writing a paper or cleaning a room, etc.). In other words, to execute complex tasks through to completion.”
For your ADHD and Autistic friends and colleagues, getting into a rhythm in the first place, may have been a painstakingly difficult endeavor, depending on the person or day. This is because their brains may struggle with executive functions like time management, motivation, organizations, etc
Imagine you carefully build a house of cards, and with only 5-10 cards left in the deck, and someone comes along and knocks it over. You’re unlikely to start over and you’re probably really frustrated.
While context switching for is difficult, inconvenient, and detrimental to productivity for everyone, those of us who are neurodivergent can have an entire day ruined by a single interruption. And it’s not a matter of work ethic or motivation, it’s a function of brain wiring.
You’re breathing too loud
For some, something may only qualify as an interruption if it’s significant. For example, someone stopping by your office and engaging you in conversation for 15 minutes, a fire drill, or a phone call from your manager.
For neurodivergent people, an interruption can take many forms, from slack messages to excess (or unexpected) noise nearby. This is why so many of us who are autistic may wear noise-cancelling headphones, and have our notifications all turned off.
When building a neuroinclusive environment, it’s important to remember that everyone will have different needs to operate at their best.
- Step one is giving everyone the freedom to make their own choices.
- Step two is building a culture that respects each unique person’s way of working.
This is why remote work policies are more inclusive and equitable, by default. Because it returns agency and control to the people who most suffer under the traditional rules.
Awareness is critical
Before policies, it will always begin with people who have the authority and capacity to make decisions, learning and understanding people who may be different from themselves.
Today, I want you all to know that interruptions are not an insignificant factor in our workday. For some of us, it is the difference between contributing and abject failure to produce anything.