Less Chaos, More Impact: A People-First Perspective on Innovation and Productivity

In a world where constant notifications, multitasking, and digital overload are the norm, reclaiming focus and productivity has become a strategic advantage. At Innovation Summit 2025, HIKE2’s Adam Franklin and Patrick Caruso shared a fresh, people-first perspective on how respecting our cognitive limits—and designing our work around them—can lead to happier, more impactful teams. Their session cut through the noise with real strategies for reducing chaos, improving innovation, and finding a healthier relationship with the technology that surrounds us. Watch the full session below and start with these human-centered takeaways:

Key Takeaways:

1. Human Brains Have Built-In Limits That Technology Often Overwhelms
   Our ability to form goals outpaces our ability to enact them. Frequent task switching, constant notifications, and scattered focus deeply strain our selective attention, working memory, and goal management systems—reducing productivity and increasing stress.
   
2. Task Switching Costs More Than You Think
   Research shows it can take up to 23 minutes to fully refocus after switching tasks. Frequent multitasking doesn’t just slow us down—it increases errors by up to 50%, raises stress levels, and fragments our working memory.
   
3. Clear Goals and Thoughtful Tool Use Help Fight Digital Overload
   Instead of reflexively responding to every Slack ping or email, workers can protect their cognitive resources by setting clear goals, choosing the right communication tools for the task, and batching shallow work to preserve deep work windows.
   
4. Intentional Rituals Create Space for Focus and Creativity
   Structuring focused work sessions, using end-of-day shutdown rituals, and alternating periods of intense concentration with downtime for diffuse thinking are essential for maintaining both productivity and creative problem solving in a hyperconnected world.

Understanding the Brain’s Bottlenecks

Adam and Patrick opened the session with a neurological primer. While the human brain has developed incredible capacities, such as complex goal formation and long-term planning, it also carries evolutionary baggage. Our cognitive control systems, which include selective attention, working memory, and goal management, are easily disrupted by both internal thoughts and external stimuli.

Key concepts like “goal interference” and “attention residue” underscore how switching between tasks doesn’t just slow us down—it reduces our capacity to think clearly and creatively. Studies show it can take up to 23 minutes to refocus after a distraction, and task switching can reduce productivity by up to 40%.

In short: we have champagne taste (big ambitions) and beer budgets (limited attention spans) when it comes to our cognitive abilities.

How Modern Work Undermines Mental Focus

The presentation then fast-forwarded through human history to demonstrate just how much the pace of information has changed. From hunter-gatherer societies to the digital age, the last few decades have introduced an unprecedented level of cognitive interference.

Franklin emphasized that while the communication landscape has expanded dramatically—mobile devices, email, social media, Slack—the brain’s fundamental capabilities have not. As Caruso pointed out, the average knowledge worker switches tasks every three minutes and project “spheres” every 11 minutes, creating fragmented work patterns that invite stress and reduce output quality.

The irony? Many of these digital tools were designed to make work easier. Instead, they often create shallow attention and a constant sense of urgency.

Human-Centric Strategies That Actually Work

Thankfully, the session wasn’t just a diagnosis—it offered practical, human-centric strategies for improving productivity and engagement.

First, Franklin and Caruso advocated for meta-awareness: stepping back to clarify goals before diving into tasks. When we define what matters, we’re better equipped to identify distractions and say “no” to what doesn’t align.

Next came a compelling case for re-evaluating tools. For instance, is Slack helping your team collaborate—or fracturing attention across too many threads? Might a Jira ticket or a structured meeting be more effective for certain tasks? These aren’t tech problems; they’re human workflow issues in disguise.

Techniques like the Pomodoro method (25 minutes of focused work, 5-minute breaks) were also highlighted for their ability to structure attention. Planning, both at the daily and meeting level, helps reduce ambiguity and prevent overwhelm.

Finally, rituals were presented as powerful signals to the brain. Whether it’s a “shutdown complete” phrase at the end of the day, or putting away your phone before a focused task, small cues can create mental boundaries that support cognitive recovery and reduce stress.

The Big Picture: Why This Matters

Ultimately, the session reframed productivity as a human problem, not just a technical one. Innovation isn’t just about speed or scale—it’s about alignment. By understanding our brains’ limitations and respecting them in how we work, we create space for both deep focus and creative problem-solving.

Caruso put it best when he asked, “How does the way we work affect how we live?” The answer: profoundly. A mind constantly switching gears at work won’t easily settle into presence at home. But with intentional choices, about tools, tasks, and time, we can reclaim control.

In doing so, we create not only more impact, but less chaos.