Do Not Answer That Phone

Are you a doctor, fireman, policeman or EMT? If not, it can wait! You don’t need to answer it, reply to it, or open the door to it. Just stop! We spend are lives getting interrupted. I’ve been in sales and the next call is always the big order. Guess what, the order will still be yours 10, 20, 30, yes even 45 minutes later.

Our effectiveness has been studied. Let’s look at a project broken down into pieces or chunks, with a beginning, middle and an end. We find that the beginning, say the first five to ten minutes, are our least effective. We aren’t fully focused; we are still transitioning from what we were doing before. I’m not saying this time isn’t import. It is, it’s necessary to allow us to get into the middle stage which is very effective and efficient. You can’t get on a freeway without using an on ramp.

But we allow ourselves to get trapped in that inefficient first five to ten minutes. How? We answer the phone, read the newest incoming e-mail, check the markets, and respond to alarms, dings, and rings. Oh, we do this in the name of service, response time, multi-tasking and hyper efficiency. But in reality we are lowering our level of production. We are not operating at our PEAK. (Look at an article called “11 minutes before the next interruption @ lifehacker.com http://lifehacker.com/software/productivity/11-minutes-before-the-next-interruption-149467.php )

There is a reason it is called a “crackberry”. These interruptions are addictive. We need to break the cycle. We need to stop taking the drug and allow ourselves to work. How, through “time blocks”.

Let me tell you how I do it. I discovered a long time ago that my attention span is 45 minutes. So I have determined that I need to work in 45 minute blocks. Any project I have is broken down into 45 minute chunks. Before I start I close my office door, close my e-mail program, put my blackberry in a draw and put my phone on “do not disturb”. At the end of 45 minutes (timed by a widget) I return calls, reply to e-mails and take care of small short duration tasks.

My goal is to have as many blocks in a day as possible. Each project is broken down into whole or half blocks. At the end of the day I add up the number of blocks. This allows me to determine how efficient I have been.

What counts as a block? This will be different for each person and/or job. It is every activity that somehow relates to the achievement of a goal. For me it is meetings, projects, blocks of calling time. I even added exercise being that one of my goals is to workout 4 times a week. It is what ever is important to you and your goals that takes a minimum of 22.5 or 45 minutes.