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The Cost of Interruptions...and 5 Ways to Cope

November 22nd, 2009

How productive did you feel last week? If you got less done than you'd hoped....what kept you from staying on task? For many people, a constant stream of interruptions is the biggest hurdle to productivity. So, here's some advice for preventing unneccessary interruptions from taking more than their fair share of your upcoming week.....

Tags: time management, interruptions, productivity, getting things done

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Comment posted on 11/23/2009 at 12:06 pm

Very helpful article. But were you interrupted when you wrote it??! A number of paragraphs in the middle have been repeated a few times! Best wishes, Jon Gardner

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Comment posted on 11/24/2009 at 07:29 am

Thanks for reading my comment on fixing the glitch! Good to know you're responsive to your readers! All the best, Jon Gardner

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Comment posted on 12/14/2009 at 09:26 am

I found this article to be helpful too! When someone interrupts me, I immediately stop what I'm doing and I make eye contact and say I've got two minutes. If they respond and say it will take longer then I encourage them to look at my calendar and schedule it. If it was an 'unnecessary' interruption (in other words chit, chat) you'll find they won't bother. Eventually, co-workers realize you're focused so much on work they stop casually stopping by or interrupting when they see you focused. At least that has been my experience. Or, when I'm really serious about no interruptions, I schedule up to a 2 hr meeting with myself and call it 'Planned Work' (unavailable during this time). Then I close my door completely and post a sign that says "In a meeting." This works for me! All the best, Pam

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Comment posted on 05/06/2010 at 01:51 pm

Julie - Esp. love #4 and #5! You have to be the "captain of the ship," if you will, and steer the situation in the way you want. :) Thanks!

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Comment posted on 06/11/2012 at 10:48 am

That's great to close your office door, but what about those of us without offices who sometimes don't even have cubicles? I moved from a cubicle to an open desk arrangement seemingly to save space. Now I am not only interrupted a lot, but have to listen to chatter all day. Seems office managers would get the message this open office doesn't work for all.

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Comment posted on 08/26/2013 at 09:49 pm

Here's a solution for all the posters, especially the last one...www.canfocus.com