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We all know that interruptions and distractions are a productivity killer. In particular, work that requires deep concentration like coding or complex problem-solving needs uninterrupted focus time. Research shows that it takes around 23 minutes to refocus after every interruption to flow state. So being asked for a minute of your time isn’t really just a minute — ever.
In addition to this, 68% of workers say that the amount of meetings they’re expected to attend interferes with their ability to get work done. And an enduring impact COVID is more meetings and more out-of-hours meetings. The result? Getting a solid block of focus time can seem unachievable.
With that in mind, we are delighted to launch a Google Calendar integration for Multitudes! This nifty integration pulls data from your team calendar to highlight focus time, fragmented time and time spent in meetings (both in and out of work hours), allowing teams to quickly identify interruptions to flow state.
Specifically, this feature:
Focus time is the state of deep work where we are at our most productive. Research suggests that individuals should aim for at least 10 hours of focus time per week (so at least 2 hours/day) – but the more focus time we get, the more we can accomplish. In Multitudes, we now show the percentage of working hours that are spent in focus time, fragmented time and meetings.
We calculate focus time as 2+ hours of uninterrupted working time during working hours. Fragmented time is the time that’s left over between meetings (e.g., a 15-minute slot between meetings). Multiple weeks of low focus time may indicate your team isn't getting enough opportunities to focus and feel productive.
For more about how we calculate this and why, check out our Focus Time docs.
80% of us say we’d be more productive if we spent less time in meetings. Workers report meetings can get in the way of work, so it’s important to strike the right balance between meetings and focus time in order to keep your team happy and productive.
Our Meeting Load insight shows the number of hours spent in meetings across your team (and it’s configurable for different time zones, since so many of us work in globally-distributed organizations). At a glance, you can see total hours spent in meetings weekly, and you can also focus in on Out-of-hours meetings — that is, meetings happening outside of an individual's preferred working hours.
You might be wondering how we calculate meeting time. We define a meeting as any Google Calendar event with 2+ people RSVPed (so if you use your calendar for time blocking or personal appointments, this won’t affect your metrics!)
For more about how we calculate this and why, check out our Meeting Load docs.
For more info about how to install Google Calendar, read our installation docs.
Ready to try it out? Request access to our private beta now!
