Dealing with Interruptions

While some level of interruptions to our work is inevitable, it should not be treated as inevitable.  We should always be working to minimize them.

What is at Stake?  Lifehacker says that after an interruption, it can take you an average of 15 minutes to get back to full productivity.

Your most productive state is to get into “flow”.  Flow is when you get so deeply into your work that time evaporates.

Consider these techniques to minimize or eliminate interruptions:

• Change your environment.  Get out of your normal space to create a little friction for your interruptions to find you.
• Wear headphones.  They let the people around you know that you are not available for a talk.
• Figure out what your regular interruptions are…  track them, figure out when, where and how they happen.  Go to root cause to eliminate future interruptions.
• Use friendly, but direct reminders to the people around you that you need to focus to be at your most productive.
• Leave yourself a note about where you left off when you do get interrupted to ensure that you get productive quickly after the interruption.
• If you have the power, implement a meeting moratorium to give you the time to do your deep work.
• Put time for your deep work on your calendar to avoid being asked into meetings that interrupt your flow.
• Make liberal use of asynchronous communication systems like E-mail, Slack, Instant Messaging, where appropriate.  Resist the urge to respond real time.  Asynchronous communication is designed to respond at the best time for you.
• Eliminate any and all possible distractions; like sounds, alarms, flashing signals on screen, email counters, envelope icons, social media tabs, Slack, IM, extraneous browser tabs and any physical distractions.

Set your success to another level by minimizing the interruptions that deny you deep work and access to flow!  Let me know how it goes.

Just my opinion.  What do you think?  Let me know in the comments.

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