According to Inc, a growing number of high-performing leaders, including managers at Google and other Fortune 100 companies, are now treating protected “focus blocks” like mission-critical meetings. They’re using specific features, like the Focus Time tools built into Google Calendar and Microsoft Viva Insights, to automatically block off their calendars. Paige Donahue, a product marketing leader at Google working with YouTube creators, says her days were once just a stream of constant meetings and pings. She notes that using the feature has made it much easier to get in the groove for deep work and see forward momentum on projects. The article states that deep work is no longer a luxury but a core leadership responsibility in today’s reactive workplace.
The Focus Time Feature Arms Race
So here’s the thing: the tech itself is pretty simple, which is why it’s so telling. Google’s Focus Time feature and Microsoft’s version for Viva Insights basically just create a colored block on your calendar that signals “do not disturb.” They can automatically decline meetings or set your status to “focusing.” It’s not rocket science. But the fact that these giants are baking it directly into their productivity suites is a huge admission. They’re acknowledging that their own tools—the endless chat pings, the meeting invites—have become the primary obstacles to actual work. It’s a fascinating bit of self-sabotage and correction happening simultaneously.
The Real Challenge Isn’t The Tool
Now, anyone who’s tried this knows the hard part. The software can block the time, but it can’t block the culture. You can mark yourself as “focusing,” but will your boss respect it? Or will they still Slack you with “quick question” that derails everything? And let’s be honest, the biggest hurdle is often internal. It’s the itch to check email, the guilt of not being “available,” or the sheer difficulty of switching from a reactive, meeting-driven brain to a deep, creative one. The feature is just a fence. The discipline to stay inside the yard, and for your team to not constantly call you over to the fence, is the real work. I think that’s why it’s starting at the leadership level—they’re the only ones with enough clout to make it stick and model the behavior.
Beyond Software: A Shift In Work Philosophy
Basically, this is about redefining what “work” looks like. For decades, being busy—visible, in meetings, responsive—was the proxy for being productive. That’s crumbling. The article’s point about this being a “core leadership responsibility” is key. It means protecting focus isn’t selfish; it’s strategic. It’s the only way to produce the high-value work that actually moves things forward. So maybe the future of work isn’t some metaverse office. Maybe it’s just a calendar with big, bold blocks of quiet time that everyone agrees are sacred. Wouldn’t that be something?
