Imagine this: You’re deep in the zone, tackling a critical project, when suddenly, an email notification pops up.
You pause to check it, thinking it’ll only take a moment. But what you might not realize is that this tiny interruption has just set off a chain reaction.
Finally, you can resume your project, but now you’re faced with the price of this disruption: increased stress, higher frustration, and a surge in time pressure and effort.
In fact, research shows that after just 20 minutes of interrupted work, the levels of stress and frustration skyrocket, making the task at hand feel even more daunting.
Interruptions aren’t just a minor inconvenience – they’re a major productivity killer.
But don’t worry, we’re here to help.
Let’s dive into some practical strategies and insights we’ve found offer excellent results in helping our team, clients (and hopefully you) stay focused!
Assessing the Damage: How Much Time Do Distractions Cost?
While interruptions are nearly impossible to eliminate entirely, there are steps we can take to reduce interruptions and distractions to a more reasonable (and less detrimental) level so we can stay focused.
But first, it’s important you really understand the damage these distractions are causing.
Over the next three days, we challenge you to create a log of all the interruptions (and interrupters) you encounter that hinder your ability to stay focused.
And keep in mind: One of your chief interrupters may be yourself.
After all, how often do you stop in the middle of a project to check your email, respond to texts, or scroll through Facebook?
What Are Some Office Distractions?
You can download your free Interruption Log Template below, but here’s a breakdown of the information you’re going to want to track:
- Date: What day did the interruption occur?
- Interrupter: Who was the cause of this interruption?
- Description of the Interruption: What were you working on when you were interrupted, and what exactly was the interruption?
- Time Lost: How much time did you spend in an interrupted state?
- Validity: Was the interruption valid? (After all, not all interruptions can be avoided, and some of them are necessary. But many times, they’re not.)
- Urgency: Even if the reason for the interruption was valid, was it urgent? If it wasn’t urgent, could it have waited until after the project you were working on?
Understanding your interruptions and where they come from is invaluable information for succeeding in your ability to stay focused.
For that reason, we created a powerful Interruption Log template, ready for your download:
Click Here to Download Your Free Interruption Log
How To Regain Focus at Work
Now that you have a firm understanding of where your distractions are coming from, let’s discuss the four steps you can take to reduce them and stay focused.
1: Want the #1 Source of Work Distractions? Take a Look in the Mirror
Although it can be tempting (and even justified) to point fingers at outside sources as the root cause of our distractions, we’re often our own worst enemy.
Here are a few recommendations to help reduce interruptions and distractions at work:
1. Switch off distractions: If you’re often distracted by email pings, Slack messages, texts, or social media updates, turn off notifications.
Most of us don’t need real-time updates on everything going on in our lives. The best thing to do is silence your phone, disconnect your computer from Wi-Fi, and pick up a pair of noise-canceling headphones.
2. Stay focused on the objective: The times we’re most easily interrupted are often when we’re working on a project we’re not especially excited about.
While there certainly will be projects that don’t thrill you, you can often find the motivation to complete them by shifting your focus to the end goal or objective that the task will help you complete.
For more on this, check out Your Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting: North Star Objectives.
3. Forget about multitasking: Some people like to brag about their ability to multitask effectively, but the truth is… there’s no such thing as multitasking.
You’re really just moving rapidly from one project to another, constantly interrupting yourself and negatively impacting the final product for both projects.
For any of us, overcoming distractions and interruptions starts with overcoming our own bad habits.
Keep in mind: Procrastination and being distraction-prone are habits that will take time and effort to overcome.
For more on adopting new, more productive habits, check out The 5 Habits of Productive People.
2: Eliminate Office Distractions by Turning Liabilities into Assets
It will come as no surprise that we at Mindmaven are huge fans of working with an assistant.
The problem is that a poorly trained assistant can sometimes be your #1 source of distractions.
Between Slack messages, emails, and knocks on the door, your assistant may involve you in administration overhead that you simply don’t need to be involved in.
The good news is your assistant can also be your greatest productivity asset.
With the right rules in place, you can train them to be your gatekeeper and keep you as distraction-free as possible. Here are a few recommendations:
1. Use Whitespace Time to block off specific time each week devoted to uninterrupted work.
Let them know that nothing—other than an urgent crisis—should distract you during that time.
2. Train them on the art of Inbox Shadowing and empower them to manage your emails as if they’re you.
This includes drafting, sorting, and prioritizing emails based on the context, permissions, and training they’ve received.
3. Create a set of clear productivity rules about when you can and can’t be interrupted.
Outline what types of situations warrant an interruption and what times of the day are acceptable for interruptions.
Remember: Without a system of clear checks and balances, a poorly trained assistant can be one of your greatest hindrances. But – when leveraged correctly, your assistant can be your most powerful partner on your journey to peak productivity.
3: Avoiding Distraction Often Means Having Those Hard Conversations
Although the biggest source of work distraction is often ourselves, it’s common to find frequent interruptions coming from team members as well.
This is especially true for founders with an “open door” policy. While that policy is great for company culture, it can also be detrimental to productivity and your ability to stay focused.
Here are a few suggestions to cut down on colleague-driven interruptions:
1. Call a team-wide meeting and let everyone know you’re trying to reduce interruptions and distractions. This way, you won’t be calling anyone out specifically.
You can even turn this into a company-wide initiative by asking for their suggestions on reducing distractions and interruptions.
2. Create clear guidelines on when you are and are not available.
For example: Pick up a pair of over-the-ear noise-canceling headphones and let everyone know you aren’t to be interrupted when you have them on.
Or have your kids create a “do not disturb” sign you can hang on your door to let people know when you’re not available.
3. Consider having “office hours” alongside an open-door policy.
Let people know you want them to be able to share their thoughts but that they can’t come and go whenever they’d like.
For example: You could say your door is open from 2:00 to 4:00 pm every day. During this time, you’d largely stay focused on reactive tasks—such as clearing your inbox—so distractions would be less detrimental.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter exactly what you do so long as you find an approach that works for you. The key is to set expectations and then communicate your expectations to your team members.
Keep in mind: This may take some getting used to at first, especially if you had a full-access, open-door policy beforehand.
So, if someone comes in to distract you during your Whitespace Time, don’t be afraid to remind them of your office hours and send them away.
4: If All Else Fails: Eliminate Interruptions by Relocating
All of this said, there will be days when work interruptions feel inescapable, and your ability to stay focused is just not in reach.
Maybe you feel especially distractible, or your team is in the middle of a project and needs your input more than you feel is necessary.
When this happens, sometimes the best thing you can do is get yourself a change of scenery.
Remember, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to leave the building. For example, you could…
- Shut the blinds and turn the lights off in your office,
- Book a conference room for yourself, or simply
- Find a quiet corner of the building to yourself.
If none of these options help you stay focused, you may have to get a little more creative or leave the building. For example, you might…
- Head to a local coffee shop,
- Work out of a hotel lobby, or
- Choose to work from your home office.
This strategy is especially effective when combined with the three tips above.
While working away from the office, to stay focused, let your team and assistant know you’ll be unreachable for the next 2-3 hours.
You can then silence your phone and (if possible) disconnect your Wi-Fi for the duration of the project.
You’ll likely find this change in environment, coupled with a supportive and understanding team, will give you all the focus you need to reduce interruptions and power through that project.
Remember: A Distracted Leader is a Hindered Leader
At the end of the day, there are some interruptions that are simply unavoidable, and that’s okay. Emergencies and crises happen.
But if you can eliminate many of the non-essential distractions—such as meeting requests, Slack messages, and habitual inbox maintenance—you’ll be better equipped to handle those essential work interruptions as they arise and stay focused!
As a result, you’ll be that much closer to reaching your fullest potential as a leader and contributing to your startup at the highest level possible.
Maximize Your Time and Resources with Our Free Meeting Cost Calculator
In our quest to help you stay focused and enhance productivity, we understand the importance of measuring the real impact of meetings on your workday.
That’s why we’re excited to offer you our Free Meeting Cost Calculator.
This tool is designed to help you quantify the time and financial costs of meetings, enabling you to make informed decisions about allocating your most valuable asset—your time.
By inputting simple data about your attendees and the time committed, our calculator will provide you with a clear picture of the cost implications of your meetings.
This insight allows you to evaluate whether each meeting is a worthwhile investment or if adjustments are needed to maintain efficiency and stay focused.
