Want to future-proof your job? Start protecting your focus time

"The next big meeting on your calendar might not have any other attendees-it might just be you. A growing number of high-performing leaders, including managers at Google and other Fortune 100 companies, are carving out protected "focus blocks" and treating them like mission-critical meetings. With constant pings, shallow tasks, and back-to-back calls, this might be the only way to produce strategic, high-value work. Google and Microsoft have even rolled out Focus Time features that automatically block off calendars to protect deep work."

""Before, my day was really just a stream of constant meetings, and I think a lot of people can relate to that," she says. "It was meeting after meeting, ping after ping, and I was finding that I didn't have a lot of time to do the deep work that's really important to move things forward." Now, she notes, it's much easier to see forward momentum. "[The focus time feature] is really helping me get in the groove and tackle projects . . . instead of getting bogged down by endless meetings.""

"Deep work has become a job requirement While the idea of "deep work" isn't new, the urgency around it is. Leaders can no longer treat focus as a luxury. In today's reactive workplace, carving out uninterrupted time for thinking and creating has become a core leadership responsibility. And employees want this just as much as executives. According to a recent Twilio survey of over 1,200 UK workers, 47% said they prioritize distraction-free focus time, and 36% said they'd like their employers to formally schedule such quiet periods. This suggests that protecting focus isn't a personal quirk-it's a cultural shift waiting to happen."

Protected focus blocks that reserve uninterrupted calendar time enable leaders and employees to perform deep, strategic work amid constant pings, shallow tasks, and back-to-back calls. Tech companies have introduced Focus Time features that automatically block calendars to protect deep work. Users report clearer forward momentum, better project progress, and greater ability to tackle substantive tasks after adopting protected blocks. Employee survey data show widespread demand: many workers prioritize distraction-free focus time and want employers to formalize quiet periods. Protecting focus has shifted from a personal preference to an organizational necessity for producing high-value outcomes.

Read at Fast Company