A study found that software engineers spend an average of 16 hours and 39 minutes in scheduled and unscheduled meetings every week, resulting in a lack of uninterrupted time to get work done. Collaboration is essential, but excessive meetings can be a distraction. To achieve effective collaboration, organizations should reduce noise by adopting simple changes to their processes, making it easy for team members to find the right person for collaboration, improving standups, and carving out deep focus time. By implementing these strategies, teams can optimize collaboration, reduce distractions, and increase productivity.