Constant Interruptions are Making Capable Workers Less Effective

Workplace overload is now showing up in hard numbers. The Health and Safety Executive’s 2024/25 figures show 1.9 million workers in Great Britain suffered from a work-related illness, including 964,000 cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety. Work-related ill health and injury also accounted for 40.1 million lost working days, with the cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions estimated at £22.9 billion in 2023/24.

The structure of modern work is part of the pressure. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index, reported by Axios, found knowledge workers were interrupted every 1.75 minutes during the formal eight-hour workday, around 275 interruptions a day, while 57% of meetings were ad hoc calls. Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace also reported global employee engagement falling from 23% to 21%, with an estimated $438 billion hit to productivity.

Amy Brann works where neuroscience meets performance. Founder of Synaptic Potential, author of Make Your Brain Work, Neuroscience for Coaches and Engaged, and a workplace culture expert, Brann helps organisztions apply brain science to leadership, focus, decision-making and sustainable high performance. Her work has included global brands such as EY, Twinings and Haleon, and she has been named among HR’s Most Influential Thinkers.

In this exclusive interview with the Female Motivational Speakers Agency, Brann explains how leaders can reduce cognitive overload, protect decision-making and design work around how the brain performs best.

Question 1. What does neuroscience tell us about designing work for sustainable high performance?

Amy Brann: “Sustainable high performance means aligning with how the brain actually works.

“The brain is an energy-efficient organ. It is constantly trying to conserve resources. When we overload it with distraction, excessive decisions or unclear priorities, performance drops quickly.

“At a neural level, high performance reflects the effective interplay between key networks. The executive function network supports focus. The default mode network is important for creativity and insight. The reward system drives motivation and reinforces behavior.

“When these systems work in harmony, people experience clarity, energy and momentum. When they do not, we see fatigue, overwhelm and disengagement.

“The challenge is that most organizations are unintentionally designed against the brain. They fragment attention. Constant interruptions and cognitive overload are the norm. It is predictable that 70% of change interventions fail, because of how our working world is structured.

“Sustainable performance comes from designing better defaults. We have a whole brain potential framework that looks at reimagining, redesigning and reinforcing how we approach things to help people align their mind frames, behaviors and physical environment, so the brain can do its best work.

“The result is a shift from effortful performance to effective performance, where people achieve more with greater clarity, enjoyment and wellbeing.”

Question 2. How can leaders reduce decision fatigue inside cognitively cluttered organizations?

Amy Brann: “Decision fatigue happens when we deplete our cognitive bandwidth, which is the finite mental resource we have available for thinking, prioritizing and choosing. Every decision, no matter how small, draws on this resource.

“When it runs low, we default to shortcuts, avoidance or poor judgement. In modern organizations, the problem is the sheer volume of decisions people are expected to make in cognitively cluttered environments.

“Leaders often underestimate how much friction this creates. The solution is to design work more intelligently.

“The first thing is to reduce unnecessary decisions. Create clear frameworks, default options and consistent processes so people are not constantly reinventing the wheel.

“Second, protect cognitive bandwidth. Reduce distractions, reduce attention fragmentation, have fewer interruptions and create more focused work time.

“Third, sequence wisely. Decisions need to be made when the brain is freshest, earlier in the day or after rest. High-value decisions need to be prioritized accordingly.

“The final thing is clarity. When expectations and goals are clear, the brain expends less energy figuring out what matters and can preserve that energy for better thinking.

“In my keynotes, I try to shift leaders from being drainers to architects of attention, where they design environments that help better decisions become the default rather than the exception.”

Question 3. What warning signs show that cognitive overload is starting to affect performance?

Amy Brann: “Cognitive overload is one of the biggest hidden barriers to performance today, and it often goes unnoticed until it is already affecting results.

“At the brain level, cognitive overload occurs when the volume of information, decisions and stimuli exceeds our bandwidth. When that happens, the brain shifts into a more reactive, less effective mode.

“Some of the early warning signs can be subtle. People may have difficulty concentrating, reread information, think more slowly or make more errors.

“People often describe it as mental friction. At the end of the day, they might say, “I’ve been really busy, but I’m not sure I’ve been as productive.”

“As it builds, you can start to see more behavioral symptoms. People task switch more. They might procrastinate, have a shorter attention span or avoid decisions.

“This happens because the brain is trying to conserve energy and reduce the load on it.

“You might also see emotional symptoms. People can feel irritable, less patient and overwhelmed. Over time, this can lead to disengagement, physical health problems and burnout.

“One of the biggest contributors is attention fragmentation. Constant switching between emails, messages, tasks and reprioritizing leaves an attention residue, which reduces the brain’s ability to put its attention and energy into what matters most.

“The key message I share with organizations is that when people are struggling to focus, it is rarely a capability issue. It is a systems issue and we can change it.

“When we redesign how work flows, reduce the noise and protect thinking time, those symptoms do not just improve. They can often disappear entirely.”

Question 4. What do you want leaders to do differently after hearing you speak?

Amy Brann: “Above all, I want people to leave with a sense of potential and a clear way to act on it.

“Most people I work with are incredibly capable. They are smart, and they are operating in systems that make it harder than it needs to be. They recognize this.

“When they understand how their brain actually works, something shifts. They realize it is about working differently.

“I want audiences to walk away with three things.

“First, clarity. I want them to have a simple, science-backed understanding of what drives focus, performance and wellbeing, and to cut through the noise of conflicting advice.

“Second, I want them to own it. I want them to have the confidence to ask, “What will help make my brain work best right now?” Then they can make intentional choices about their attention, their behavior and their environment in the organization they are in.

“Third, I want them to walk away with practical tools they can apply immediately to reduce distractions, improve decision-making or create better team dynamics.

“Ultimately, my goal is to spark a shift from reactive, overloaded ways of working to more intentional, brain-aligned performance. When people understand how their brain works, they perform better and feel better. That is where the real sustainable impact happens.”

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This exclusive interview with Amy Brann was conducted by Tabish Ali of the Motivational Speakers Agency.