Meeting Recovery Syndrome:
Why You Can't Focus After Zoom

You finish a 2:00 PM video call. It was only 30 minutes. But at 2:45 PM, you're still scrolling Twitter, unable to start your next task. This is Meeting Recovery Syndrome (MRS).

The Science of "Attention Residue"

Sophie Leroy, a professor at the University of Washington Bothell, coined the term Attention Residue. It describes the phenomenon where your brain is still processing the previous task (the meeting) while trying to start the next one.

Video calls exacerbate this. On a Zoom call, your brain works overtime to process non-verbal cues (micro-expressions, lags, audio quality). This causes higher Cognitive Load than an in-person meeting.

Strategy: The "Buffer Block"

The most effective cure for MRS is not willpower; it's scheduling. Never schedule meetings back-to-back.

The 50/10 Rule:Schedule hour-long meetings for 50 minutes. Use the remaining 10 minutes specifically for "Cognitive Closure."

1. Write down the 3 key takeaways.
2. Assign tasks immediately.
3. Close the browser tab related to the meeting.
4. Stand up and physically move away from the screen.

Strategy: Batching (Calendar Defrag)

If you have 5 hours of meetings a week, the worst way to schedule them is 1 hour per day. That destroys 5 separate mornings.

The best way is to do all 5 hours on Tuesday. This creates "No Meeting Days" on M/W/Th/F, giving you huge blocks of uninterrupted flow time.