The Weight of The Noise
Most of us accept noise as part of modern work: nonstop messages, overlapping tools, constant switching. We call it "being busy", but it's often just clutter in disguise.
This first lesson helps you see the invisible weight you’re carrying so you can begin to lighten it. Every bit of noise costs you focus, energy and creativity.
Seneca said "It's not that we have little time, but that we waste so much". Rather than lamenting about the constant lack of time, would it not be better to ask ourselves how much of it we willingly trade away to distraction?
Simplicity begins by noticing friction, not fixing it. You can colour-code calendars, block your days, stack time management apps and still feel pulled in ten directions. Structure helps but it doesn’t substitute awareness.
Just as you can’t teach someone what they think they already know, you can’t remove what you haven’t noticed.
Notice before you measure
The Noise Audit is a good exercise to help you see how your attention leaks away in small ways. The purpose is not to count every distraction but to make the invisible visible; to shift the narrative from "I'm bad at managing my time" to "My environment has invisible friction".
It measures three kinds of noises that quietly drain performance. You want to notice patterns and see truths about how your environment and habits fragment your focus, not just collect data.
| Type | Definition | Typical examples | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital noise | Unfiltered input from tools and devices | Notifications, emails, chat pings, app-switching | How often do tools interrupt you or pull attention? |
| Collaborative noise | Overcommunication, unclear collaboration patterns | Unfocused meetings, endless threads, “cc-all” emails | Where does misalignment waste collective energy? |
| Mental noise | Cognitive clutter that lives in your head | Worrying about unfinished tasks, rethinking decisions, multitasking | When is your brain busy but not productive? |
How to run your noise audit
Choose a day that feels representative - not chaotic, not unusually quiet.
Track interruptions
Keep a small notepad/open document next to you.
Each time your focus breaks, make a short note: "Email", "Slack", "Chat", "Meeting detour", "Phone" etc.
Don't analyse it, just record.
Add a quick context note.
At the end of each interruption, jot one short sentence: "email from client - not urgent"; "colleague question - could have waited".
This helps you build awareness of what type of noise dominates.
Include meetings or collaboration
If you're in meetings, note start & end times, how much time was spent off-topic, whether the meeting could have been async (use simple percentages or phrases like "half-productive")
End of day reflection
Spend 10 minutes reviewing your notes and ask yourself: Which interruptions were necessary? Which were avoidable? What patterns repeat?
Capture the pattern, not the detail.