---
title: You need to be alone to be productive
date: "2006-12-08T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 164
description: I explore Joel Spolsky’s argument that productivity requires solitude. It takes fifteen minutes to enter a state of deep concentration, but only a second to lose it through interruptions, making a quiet workspace essential.
keywords: [productivity, deep work, concentration, joel spolsky, interruptions, flow state]
---

Joel Spolsky on [why you need to be alone to be productive](http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000068.html). You build up concentration for 15 minutes, and you lose it in a second when interrupted.