The effectiveness of work increases according to geometric progression if there are no interruptions.

Maurois’s remark frames productivity as a compounding phenomenon: sustained, uninterrupted attention does not merely add output but multiplies it. The “geometric progression” metaphor suggests that once a worker is fully engaged—having overcome the initial friction of starting, gathered relevant materials in mind, and entered a rhythm—each additional unit of uninterrupted time yields disproportionately greater results. Interruptions, by contrast, force repeated restarts and context reconstruction, dissipating momentum and creative continuity. The quote is often read as an early articulation of what later writers call “deep work” or “flow”: the idea that complex intellectual or creative tasks benefit most from long, protected stretches of concentration.