Have you ever left the office at the end of the day feeling like you didn't accomplish a thing? Perhaps it's because you had too many interruptions pulling you away from what you intended to do. All day long we get interrupted by phone calls, emails, pagers, co-workers, etc. After an interruption it takes about 20 minutes to regroup and become fully re-engaged in what we were working on before being interrupted; no wonder we feel we can't get anything done! 

According to Dr. Donald E. Wetmore, time management expert, approximately 80 percent of interruptions are of "little value" or "no value," and those interruptions waste about three hours every day. That's a huge loss in productivity!

When figuring out how to eliminate these "productivity black holes," we need to ask ourselves if we actually welcome interruptions. Some of us look for interruptions as a way to procrastinate, and some of us fail to protect our priorities by simply allowing interruptions to occur.
 
Here are some ideas to help you protect your priorities and get the most out of your workday.

Block Your Time:
Schedule blocks of time during the day to make or return phone calls. Unless you're required to answer every time it rings, let your calls go to voicemail when you're working on a project. After all, that's what voicemail is for.

I've said it before and I'll say it again (and again...), email is wonderful, but it's also a HUGE source of self-imposed distraction. I highly recommend blocking a few times throughout the day to check email instead of checking it every couple minutes. If that feels too restricting, then at least disable your email notification tool (the pop-ups and dings). Again, unless your job requires that you jump every time an email arrives (i.e., help desk), schedule times to check it periodically (morning, lunch, 3 p.m., etc.)

Protect Your Priorities: 
When you receive an interruption, you generally have to make a choice; decide which is more important: what you're currently working on or this new thing requesting your attention. Align your decision with your priorities. Most people don't expect you to immediately reply to a text or to an email, or always answer the phone. And if someone interrupts you in person, ask if you can get back to them in 10 minutes or so. Unless it's an emergency, most people will be very accommodating. 

If you have an office, close the door. Put a note on the door indicating what time you'll be available. If you have a cubicle, try one of these cool "do not disturb" tools:

In-person interruptions generally last longer than phone interruptions, and social interruptions have the highest impact on our ability to return to our original task.* As a social person myself, I'm not suggesting you eliminate all socializing with co-workers. Just understand the cost it will have on your productivity. So choose your water cooler conversations carefully. 

Bottom Line:
Control what you can (it's probably a lot more than you think), and make well-examined decisions when an interruption comes your way.

Sources:
*SmartCube, Inc., Social Interruption and the Loss of Productivity

Ok, it's confession time. "My name is Linette, and I'm a procrastinator." Does it surprise you that someone who trains others how to be productive suffers from the dreaded "disease" of procrastination? It's true. Having confessed this, though, I must also tell you that I work hard at overcoming this limiting behavior; and I'll share some ideas that I hope will help my fellow sufferers out there.

Chances are, if you are a perfectionist, you also procrastinate. How do I know? Well, I suffer from that wonderful  trait as well. So, what can you do when plagued with these "diseases"? Plenty!

The first step to recovery is to figure out why you procrastinate. Is it a fear of failure or a fear of success? Are you unclear about what action you need to take? Does the task bore you? Are you an adrenaline junky who loves the rush of just beating a deadline?

Once you discover your motivation for putting things off, spend some time figuring out how you can change your perspective. Talk with people who don't procrastinate as much to learn how they view unpleasant or difficult tasks. Perhaps they can offer you some insight. Here are some additional suggestions:

• Don't seek perfection. Tell yourself "80 percent is good enough." It's certainly better than doing nothing at all; 100 percent perfect is an unrealistic expectation.
• Make a "one-day to-do list" with no more than 5 action items. Strive to achieve 80 percent of your list, and reward yourself for your efforts.
• Break an overwhelming task down into "bite size" portions and complete one bite at a time. For truly unpleasant tasks, just do 10-15 minutes at a time, give yourself a break, and then come back and work on it for another 10-15 minutes until it's done.
• Get an accountability partner to hold you to your commitments. I can't say enough about the value of my accountability partner, Donna. I had to get up extra early the morning of our last call so I could complete my task, but I wouldn't have done it without that added pressure of our weekly accountability call.
• Play classical music--or whatever helps you to focus and stay motivated. When I have to work on something unpleasant or challenging or if I'm feeling especially distractible, I listen to classical or dance music to help me focus and to motivate me--works every time.
• Don't put off what can be done quickly. If it takes two minutes or less, do it now, and then move on to the next task.
• Limit your "checking in" time to a minimum. As wonderful as modern technology can be, it has given us more excuses to do things other than what we need to be doing. Facebook, Twitter, texting, instant messaging, and emails give us plenty of reasons for distraction. Schedule "checking in" time in your day; for example, only check in every two hours or once in the morning, at lunchtime, and once in the afternoon, etc.
• Clear the clutter. A lot of time is wasted looking for misplaced items, which delays what you really need to be working on. Organize your desk space so you can focus on the task at hand and eliminate the excuse to procrastinate.
• Work on the most important task first--preferably first thing in the morning. If you're not a morning person, pick your most alert time of the day.

Procrastination is a learned behavior, which means it can be un-learned. So, stop making excuses and do something about it... NOW!