Minimize Interruptions When Working

It's better to have one long interruption than many frequent interruptions.

I was reminded of this because my wife caught a bad cold on Wednesday. Then it clobbered her yesterday. She had no energy, and needed to rest most of the day. (Being pregnant + bad cold = practically bedridden.)

So I tried to hold down the fort the best I could, while still trying to work. Sadly, it was mostly a wasted day. It's nearly impossible to get anything done while watching two kids, feeding them meals and snacks, and refereeing frequent brother/sister arguments.

The experience reminded me how important it is to minimize interruptions as best you can. Because every time you get interrupted, you lose more time than you think you do...

Obviously, however long the interruption lasts costs you time. But there's also the cost of friction. The time it takes you to stop mid-task... and then start again. I've noticed that a 5-minute interruption can actually cost me 15 or 20 minutes of time.

Once your train of thought (and your train of activity) has been derailed, it takes some time to get that train moving again. ("Now--what was it that I was doing?")

When it finally does get moving--and you hit full stride--the real time cost is usually quite high.

Here's what I've been doing lately to prevent interruptions.

1. Minimize email. (I only get 5 or 10 emails a day now... thank God.)
2. Unplug your phone. (Just pull out the cord. Simple.)
3. Work somewhere else. (I prefer my kitchen table when it's quiet.)
4. Use noise-canceling headphones. (Bose headphones are great for this.)
5. Set your stop-watch. (I've been setting mine to 29 minutes. I work the whole time without stopping.)

Try any or all of these. I think you'll see they really do help to eliminate distractions so you can get more done.

Comments

[Ali Manson]

Hey Ryan,

Just thinking about this subject makes me glad for my current circumstances (no major distractions, such as kids, other people in the house at the same time as me) but there is always another side to the coin...

I am possibly one of the most easily distracted people the Lord has put on this Earth. Period.

It takes next to nothing for me to be put off what I'm doing. Only if I'm truly on a roll do I ignore the temptation to stroll downstairs to the fridge, go out and get some fresh air, watch a dvd or whatever.

I guess this is why it's so important for me to work on projects that really interest me.

That way, at least I can minimize the potential for a project to become a thorn in my side...

Ali

[Joseph Ratliff]

Ryan,

Nice post.

Interruptions are something that can sap so much productive time away from you.

I always love clients that starts an unscheduled conversation with you by saying...

"Hey, do you have just 5 minutes?"

To which I reply with...

"Nope, but if you put together everything you need from me today, I will have a total of 15 minutes for you at ."

Joseph Ratliff

[Mike Sansone]

Great point and thanks for the reminder.

I've been considering altering my meeting schedules (meet with clients in the morning or afternoon - but not here and there and any time convenient for them). Too many interruptions and only tiny 45 minute openings for projects and such.

This helps make my decision easy.

[Ryan Healy]

Mike - I'm glad I could help. Hope the new meeting schedule works well for you.