If you've ever opened your laptop to "just check one thing," only to emerge 40 minutes later knowing everything about otters but nothing about the task you started, welcome to the age of distraction.
Our workplaces hum with notifications, pings, platforms, and pop-ups, all fighting for a slice of our attention. We don't have an information problem anymore; we have an attention problem. And it's costing us the one thing learning truly needs: focus.
Focus: The Missing Learning Skill
Karl Sebire's Learning in the Age of Distraction (University of Melbourne, 2020) found that when people use technology without clear boundaries, they actually retain less. The human brain just doesn't multitask well, it toggles, fumbles, and forgets.
Sound familiar? It's what happens every time we expect people to "fit in a bit of learning" between meetings, messages, and the daily digital avalanche. We call it "continuous learning," but often it's more like continuous interruption.
Tech Isn't the Villain. It's the Battlefield
Technology isn't the villain here. It's the environment. And if we want learning to thrive inside it, we have to design for focus, not fight against it.
The real challenge for L&D teams isn't to make learning flashier, it's to make it easier. Fewer logins, less friction, and content that earns attention rather than competes for it.
Deep Learning in a Shallow World
Real learning, the kind that sticks, doesn't have to be long, it just has to be designed well. When content is focused, relevant, and easy to revisit, it will fit the flow of work and actually get used.
The smarter approach? Give people unlimited access. Let them return, revisit, and relearn when they choose. When the noise dies down and focus returns. That's how learning becomes a habit, not a hassle.
And to make that possible, organisations need to ditch per-user pricing and the paywall mentality. Because learning shouldn't be rationed, it should be ready when people are.
The Real Competitive Advantage
In a world overloaded with information, attention is the real differentiator.
The organisations that protect it, through simplicity, accessibility, and trust, are the ones that will actually see learning stick.
Distraction isn't going anywhere. But learning can still thrive, if we design it to cut through the noise.
Saving the world from per-user pricing?
That's just the start.
Are you ready to help your team learn deeply in a noisy world? See what we have to offer here.
Join the revolution against per-user pricing. Book a call with the team here.
Simple, accessible, and built for the real world, not priced like it's a privilege. Check how much you could be saving here.
