We’ve long thought pot plants and cups of tea were good for our wellbeing – but it turns out they might be slowing us down.
As one in ten Brits admit they can’t stay focused for more than five minutes at a time, the UK’s distraction index has exposed the nation’s biggest productivity killers.
Almost three in ten people (27%) confess to procrastinating multiple times per hour, with Gen Z the worst offenders with an average attention span of just 19.5 minutes, research from Samsung has found.
And the culprit? The humble kettle. While over half of Brits (52%) said social media doom-scrolling was the online activity that wasted most of their time, 32% said idling while making a brew was preventing them from getting work done.
Chatting to friends and colleagues, daydreaming or overthinking and checking personal messages were also listed among the most common ways that people avoid work.
The study, commissioned to mark the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Series, has found a nation with their focus under siege.
Scrolling through social media, thinking about food, checking emails and reading news and sports updates are ranked high on the disruption list, alongside tidying the desk or shopping online.12% admit to getting lost down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, meanwhile, and others blame playing with a pet or watering the pot plants.
It is not just work that Brits are shirking; seven in 10 admit to feeling overwhelmed by their to-do list every day, with 63% ending the week with a longer to-do list than they started with.
The study has also revealed the most popular productivity boosters, with technology being cited as a key driver in unlocking smarter, faster ways to get things done.
Almost half (44%) of Brits say they rely on technology to manage their daily tasks. From smart reminders and calendars to AI-powered scheduling, apps and devices are becoming the modern equivalent of a personal assistant – helping to cut through the noise, stop procrastination spirals, and maximise the 10:43am productivity peak.
The new Galaxy Tab S11 Series has been built to enhance productivity with Galaxy AI tools that aim to streamline work and study, including Note Assist which helps improve writing and note-taking and Transcript Assist which transcribes, summarises and translates recordings.
The series is Samsung’s thinnest yet, providing the ability to create up to four separate workspaces at once to aid multitasking and curb procrastination.
Annika Bizon, Mobile Experience VP of Product and Marketing, at Samsung UK & Ireland said: “We’re all guilty of losing focus. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Series is designed to help, with smart tools that anticipate what you need, when you need it, removing friction from everyday tasks so even the mid-afternoon slump doesn’t have to derail your day.”
The Samsung Tab S11 series is available now in two colours: Grey and Silver.
Now, who’s for a brew?