The Ambient Cost of Knowing

The subtlest damage is psychological. A scheduled interruption sits in the back of your mind like an alarm waiting to go off. PG cites a line from Dickens: the mere consciousness of an engagement will sometimes worry a whole day.

This is why makers on a good run resent even small asks. It's not the fifteen minutes. It's that the fifteen minutes forces them to keep one eye on the clock, and deep work doesn't happen with one eye on the clock.

If you're a maker, notice this in yourself and stop pretending a 2pm call is free. If you manage makers, notice it in them and stop treating their calendar like yours.