Please enjoy this guest blog post from Alita Bluford, an efficiency expert!
By Alita Bluford
What is the financial and psychological cost of losing things?
Part 2
Interruptions
- 85% of interruptions are a complete waste of time; only 15 percent are worthy of your attention.
- 80% of our interruptions usually come from 20% of the people with whom we work.
- The average person spends 2 years of his or her life looking through clutter for lost or misplaced items.
- Interruptions can be internal, external, perceived, real, psychological, emotional, physical.
- Having to look for a client file is considered an interruption. Looking for 2 each day at a cost of 15 minutes of your time, at a wage of $20/hour, costs your firm $6000 each year.
- A project that will take you one hour to complete will take you 4 hours to complete with interruptions and you will make more mistakes.
- After each interruption, it takes your brain 20 minutes to return to it’s original level of concentration.
- Unless protected, you will be interrupted at least 8 times in an 8 hour day.
If your office works by crisis management, be sure to allow ‘buffer’ time in your schedule to handle unexpected urgencies. Also- work with a time management expert to help you understand how to make good decisions that reflect your priorities so that you can accomplish what you need to. You will never get everything done. For additional tips, consider the booklet: “The Ultimate Guide on How to Be Efficient@Time...and end your day with minutes to spare”.
By Alita Bluford – Certified Productive Environment Specialist. Available for $10 at http://efficiencyconsultants.com/order.html . And it includes a complimentary telephone conversation!
Help is Here:
Communication Tips
- “What can I do for you?” – encourages the interrupter to get to the point
- “How much time will you need?” – if you can only spare 5 minutes, say so and keep to your limit.
- “No, I don’t have a minute right now. What is another time that you will be available today for us to discuss this?”
- “Thanks for sharing that information with me”, as you get up and move towards the exit door of your office. Better yet, don’t sit down when they arrive. The less comfortable you both are, the quicker the meeting will end.
- Close your office door. Post a sign as to when you will be available
Preventing interruptions
- Don’t expect yourself to concentrate longer than 60 min. on a difficult task.
- Don’t use the email arrival alarm.
- Use voice mail to capture a telephone call if you are in the middle of working on a project
- Wear headsets all day. People will think you are on the telephone, even if you aren’t
- Be sure the temperature, air quality is good for your comfort
- Hydrate yourself frequently – 8 glasses of water each day
- Get enough sleep – at least 7.5 hours. Your brain needs this much time to refresh itself to allow you to make good decisions about what interruptions to allow and which to deflect.
For more information, free tips, and organizational tools contact Alita Bluford, Productive Environment Specialist at: 800-852-9050 or www.efficiencyconsultants.com