Our research team’s work involves diving deep into complex topics and making sense of emerging topics across industries. Sometimes it feels like the brain starts fuming after focused efforts to connect the dots between disparate pieces of information.
Knowledge workers are bombarded by pings and context-switches that shred attention. One study found employees in knowledge-intensive roles are interrupted 15 times per hour, roughly once every four minutes. Each interruption costs an average 20-30 minutes of focus recovery before we’re fully back on task. (Stangl & Riedl, 2023 & Zhou & Rau, 2023)
Add to that the reality that our on-screen attention span has plummeted to just 47 seconds. Little wonder “the brain starts fuming” when we try to synthesise complex research.
Internal meetings are batched onto two “shallow” days each week, leaving three meeting-free days for uninterrupted analysis and writing.
We normalise the idea that thinking is working. Output may spike one day and simmer the next; that ebb-and-flow is built into project plans.
When stuck, researchers are urged to take a focus-recovery walk or grab a five-minute peer consult. This prevents cognitive rumination from turning into burnout.
Big research questions are decomposed in Miro boards, turning amorphous problems into sequenced, bite-sized tasks — a proven cognitive-load reducer.
We’re still learning, but one thing is clear: supporting brain ergonomics is central to how we build a balanced and sustainable work environment at Catapult.
Mari is the Research Lead at Catapult, where she leads the team in a variety of research topics across industries.
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The collection of researches in various industries and verticals is crafted by our in-house business thinkers, data analysts and growth hackers.
