Buhata
Login Start for Free

Home › Life Terms

Productivity methods and focus

Attention residue

Thoughts about an earlier task that stay with you after you switch to a new one, leaving less attention for the work in front of you.

What It Means

Attention residue is the part of your mind that stays on one task after you've moved on to another. Business researcher Sophie Leroy named it in a 2009 paper about switching between work tasks. When you leave something unfinished, part of your attention keeps holding on to it, so the next task gets less of you than it seems to.

Try It: Make a Ready-to-Resume Plan

You're in the middle of a report and a coworker needs you now. Walk through Leroy's one-minute plan before you switch.

Step1of 4

Pause

Tell the person you need one minute before you turn to them.

How People Say It

  • "I'm in the meeting, but my head's still in that spreadsheet."
  • "Give me a second to switch gears."
  • "I keep thinking about the email I didn't finish."

The Breakdown

The ready-to-resume plan, when you're interrupted

  1. Ask for a minute before you switch.
  2. Write down where you were in the task.
  3. Add what you planned to do next.
  4. Switch, and give the new task your full attention.

Leroy's research, reported by the University of Washington, found that this short note gives the brain a sense of temporary closure so it can let go of the unfinished task.

Try it today. Keep a notepad or a note open beside your main work, and the next time someone interrupts you, write the two lines before you answer.

Other ways to cut residue (Buhata's own suggestions)

HabitWhy it helps
Finish a natural chunk before switchingLess is left hanging
Batch email and messages into set timesFewer switches in a day
Leave a gap between meetingsTime to close out the last one

Where It Comes From

Sophie Leroy, a business professor now at the University of Washington Bothell, coined the term in "Why is it so hard to do my work? The challenge of attention residue when switching between work tasks," published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes in 2009. It went on to win a best paper award from the Academy of Management's MOC division.

Good to Know

Leroy's explanation is that people have a strong need to complete what they start, which is why an unfinished task is harder to set aside than a finished one. The fix she tested doesn't require finishing: a quick written plan for returning was enough to help people move on.

FAQ

Who came up with attention residue?

Sophie Leroy, a business researcher at the University of Washington Bothell. She introduced the term in a 2009 paper in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

What is a ready-to-resume plan?

A one-minute note you write when interrupted, saying where you were in a task and what you planned to do next. Leroy's research found it helps your attention let go of the unfinished work.

Is attention residue the same as multitasking?

They're linked. MultitaskingMultitasking mythThe mistaken belief that you can do several thinking tasks at once without cost; research finds switching between tasks slows people down and adds errors. See more often means switching back and forth, and attention residue is one reason those switches cost you, because part of your mind stays on the last task.

Do It in Buhata

Notes and Tasks

When you're pulled away from a task, add a line to Notes (Premium) in Buhata saying where you stopped and what's next, then add the next step to Tasks.

Open Buhata

Related Terms and Categories

  • Multitasking myth

    The mistaken belief that you can do several thinking tasks at once without cost; research finds switching between tasks slows people down and adds errors.

  • Context switching

    Moving your attention from one task to another and back, which costs time and focus each time your mind has to reset for the new task.

  • Deep work

    Focused, distraction-free time spent on a mentally demanding task, a term from author Cal Newport's 2016 book Deep Work.

  • Task batching

    Grouping similar small tasks, such as email, calls or errands, and doing them together in one block of time instead of scattering them through the day.

Productivity methods and focus

Sources

University of Washington Bothell, "Sophie Leroy" faculty page; UW News, "Task interrupted: A plan for returning helps you move on"; UW Magazine, "There's no such thing as multitasking, according to business expert Sophie Leroy"; UW Bothell News, "Fresh insights into workplace interruptions"

Last updated .