AI tools disrupt focus and fragment attention, affecting both individual productivity and team dynamics. The author shares personal experiences of losing time to distractions, emphasizing that it’s not a matter of willpower but a fundamental issue with how AI operates. The unpredictable response times of AI lead to frequent context-switching, which makes it hard to maintain concentration. Research shows that after about 10 seconds of waiting, people start to lose focus, creating a cycle of interruptions that diminishes overall effectiveness. Strategies for coping with AI-induced waiting have emerged, varying from mindfulness practices to multitasking. Some users report switching between projects or engaging in unrelated tasks like watching videos, while others use the waiting time to plan their next prompt or take physical breaks. Each person needs to find what works best for them, and there’s a broader discussion about the pressure to be productive at all times. The author advocates for setting defaults to manage attention better and avoid aimless distractions. At the team level, individual distractions can lead to significant costs. Meetings suffer when participants are only half-listening, resulting in vague agreements rather than clear decisions. Leaders face a challenge: they must coach their teams through the cognitive load created by AI, rather than merely monitoring focus. Misreading silence in meetings can lead to a false sense of alignment, as people may be engaged with AI rather than the discussion. The article stresses the importance of recognizing these dynamics, as quick AI outputs can mask shallow thinking, ultimately leading to poor decision-making.