Programming needs deep concentration, the state Spolsky called "the zone". He estimated that it takes about 15 minutes to reach full productivity, so a one-minute interruption can cost a quarter of an hour: an overheard conversation, a phone call, a colleague's quick question. His prescription was private offices instead of open cubicles.
Distractions in 2026 are more likely to arrive through chat notifications and back-to-back video calls. Teams that score "yes" batch meetings, block focus time, prefer asynchronous discussion in issues and pull requests to instant messages, and let remote workers choose where they concentrate best.