---
title: "The Anticipation of Interruption"
description: "The mere expectation of being interrupted kills maker-mode depth."
date: 2011-02-06
url: https://claylo.dev/articles/anticipation-of-interruption
---

As Paul Graham points out in his essay [Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule](http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html) interruption and context-switching can easily kill the momentum of someone involved in "the work of creating."

Over the last month, I've been working on my new business from home. After all, I've successfully worked from home at various times over the last 15 years. A lot of [Mashery](http://www.mashery.com/)'s early code was written at my home. Why not do the same again?

The big difference this time around: I've got two kids now, a 6 year old and a 4 year old, both boys. (My 4 yr old wasn't born yet during Mashery's first 6 months.) They're super-DUPER excited that Daddy's home during the day. This has led to my discovery of a new Achille's Heel for Makers: The Anticipation of Interruption.

I found that even if I tell my boys that I'm working, and the door to my home office is closed, there are some things that are just TOO EXCITING to keep inside, especially if Daddy is right behind that door.

The Anticipation of Interruption is a familiar feeling. As Mashery grew beyond its early days — which involved long days of me coding alone with headphones on — there was an ever-increasing risk of interruption. That just happens as companies grow. If unchecked, companies risk large amounts of wasted time on the clock. (See Jason Fried's TED talk on "[Why Work Doesn't Happen at Work](http://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_work.html).")

I found that even if I had my headphones on — my version of [The Nerd Hoodie](http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2011/01/17/managing_nerds.html) — I'd often still wind up getting interrupted for something anyway. Anticipation of interruption can prevent makers from getting deep into the details of putting things together.

This is also a problem with co-working spaces and "Startup Hangouts." I've visited several of those over the past month, and ultimately decided that the only difference was that the potential interruption wasn't going to be coming from my kids.

Kinko's, with Bose noise-cancelling headphones on top, has no interruptions. I don't even get up to wander around, because someone might jack my laptop or bluetooth trackpad if I step away. Suddenly the day is carved into chunks of two ass-in-chair hours of focus, a deliberate pack-up-my-shit break, and another two hour stint.

How much work could you get done if you could wall it off like that?