Interruptions

Question: What are the three biggest productivity killers that all happen to start with the letter “I”?

Answer:

1. Interruptions
2. Interruptions
3. Interruptions

Why Interruptions Are Bad

Why are interruptions so bad? Well, in many cases, if we get interrupted even briefly, it will take us 5 minutes to get back to where we were before. So if we get interrupted 12 times a day, we will lose almost 1 hour of productivity a day.

It might not seem like a brief interruption will steal five minutes from us but in most cases, it is really true. Let’s say that we are writing a sentence or some code and someone comes rushing into our office with a question. Whatever thought was in our heads gets erased while we answer the question. Then we turn back to what we were doing before and have to remember what we were thinking about.

Sometimes when I am programming, I have to remember about 3 things at once. I have to remember the procedure I am working on right now, what I have to change in the procedure that calls this one and what I have to change in the next procedure. If I get interrupted, I lose this and have to start again. And that is if I am lucky. Sometimes I might forget to change something and this will create a bug in the program. So in these cases, even a small interruptions can take 20 minutes to get fully back up to speed.

Reducing Interruptions

Here are some things that we can do to reduce interruptions.

• Work where we can’t be interrupted
• Setup block time
• Use e-mail
• Complete the thought

Work Where We Can’t Be Interrupted

The best way to avoid interruptions is to work someplace where we can’t be interrupted. This could be at home, in the office on weekends or in a closed office. When I was working on the Windows version of DiskDupe, I needed to keep about 5 different things in my head at once. If I was interrupted, it would take me a really long time to get back up to speed. So I worked at home and was able to finish in about 2 weeks what would have taken over a month to do at the office.

Setup Block Time

Block time is time that we set aside to work without interruptions. Unplug the phone, close the door and put a sign on it “Don’t interrupt until 12:00”.

It works best if the whole office uses the same time for block time. Mornings from 9:00 to 12:00 works very well. This gives people a chance to get to the office, chat a little and settle in before starting block time. It is also good to do it in the mornings since this is when we are usually the most productive.

If the phones ring a lot in your office, either unplug them and let the answering machine pick them up or designate someone to answer the phones. Explain to callers that unless it is an emergency, their call will be returned after lunch.

Even if you don’t setup formal block time, it is good to encourage everyone to wait until after about 4:00pm to interrupt each other, chat or hold meetings. Usually by this time most of the important work has been done and we are not working at our highest efficiency anyways.

Use E-Mail

The big advantage of using e-mail is that it can be answered when there is a natural break in our work. It is also great to have a record of a request so we don’t forget it. Finally, it is nice to be able to send a reply back with the answer so the other person has a record of your answer.

It might seem a little silly to send e-mail to someone sitting only a few feet away but it works great. Vinh and I have been doing it for over 6 months and we both think it works great.

Complete The Thought First

Some interruptions are unavoidable. There might be a customer on the phone that needs an answer or someone might not be able to continue their work without an answer to a question.

If we need to interrupt someone else, here is a good way of doing it. Walk over to their office or desk and stand where they can see you. Don’t start talking right away but wait for them to finish. If they don’t see you, knock lightly and continue to wait. This will give them a chance to finish their current thought and make mental note of where they need to resume.

If someone comes into your office and starts talking right away, hold up a finger indicating “one moment.” Finish what you are working on and then write down where you need to resume. Then turn to the person and apologize for making them wait and explain that you were right in the middle of something. Soon, they will learn to wait quietly as well until you are finished.

It is also good to bring this up during meetings so everyone is aware of it. It is sometimes hard to break this habit so it can take a little time and patience.

Summary

Interruptions can sometimes be the number one productivity killer. However, there are some simple steps that we can take to greatly reduce them.