Interruption Cost Estimator
Calculate productivity loss from workplace interruptions and context-switching. Enter values for instant results with step-by-step formulas.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Software Development Team
Problem:10 developers, $100/hour, 18 interruptions/day, 5 min each, 20 min recovery. Slack-heavy culture.
Solution:Lost time: 7.5 hours/person/day (94%). Only 0.5 productive hours remain.\n\nTeam cost:\n$750/person/day × 10 = $7,500/day\n$7,500 × 22 workdays × 12 months = $1.98M/year.
Result:$1.98M annual cost | About 6% productive time left | Async communication urgently needed
Example 2: Product Management
Problem:5 PMs, $85/hour, 25 interruptions/day (meetings + Slack), 3 min avg, 10 min recovery.
Solution:Lost: 5.4 hours/person/day (68%).\n\nTeam cost:\n$460/person/day × 5 = about $2,302/day\n$2,302 × 22 workdays × 12 months = about $608K/year.\n\nMeeting culture is the main driver.
Result:$608K annual cost | Meeting overload | Batch meetings to specific days
Example 3: Engineering Leadership
Problem:3 senior engineers, $125/hour, 12 interruptions (code reviews, questions), 8 min, 25 min recovery.
Solution:Lost: 6.6 hours/person/day (83%). These high-value employees have only about 1.4 focused hours left.\n\nTeam cost:\n$825/person/day × 3 = $2,475/day\n$2,475 × 22 workdays × 12 months = $653K/year.
Result:$653K annual cost | Senior talent underutilized | Office hours for questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do interruptions really cost?
Research suggests interruptions cost 23 minutes of recovery time on average. For a $75/hour worker interrupted 15 times daily, that's ~$300/day in lost productivity—over $70K annually per person.
What's a reasonable interruption level?
5-10 significant interruptions per day is manageable for most knowledge work. Above 15 significantly impacts deep work. Some roles (support, management) naturally have more but should still have focus time.