Dayton B2B Magazine, December 2008

Productivity poor? Cut distractions.
By Arundi Venkayya Cox
B2B Editor

Have you ever visited the newsroom at the Dayton Daily News – specifically my desk? It’s a very busy place – lots of people are walking around, people are talking on the phone, police scanners are blaring and televisions are running continually.

I’ve always loved working in a newsroom. For someone who is very social and who makes her living communicating, it’s the perfect environment, except when I’m trying to write a column.

When I’m on a deadline for my column, I’d much rather spend time chatting about Sarah Palin’s $150,000 wardrobe, checking e-mail, returning phone calls or getting a drink. Heck, I’d even pay my bills – you get the picture.

The problem is that when I’m distracted, my work gets delayed. And I know I’m not alone. Businesses struggle with making workers more productive all the time.

A recent report by business and technology research firm Basex said that interruptions including hundreds of e-mails, instant messages, phone calls and text messages cost U.S. companies about $650 billion per year in lost productivity and hampered innovation.

Lori Firsdon and Barbara Warner, co-owners of Encore Professional Organizers LLC in Centerville, are asked frequently how to help employees. Firsdon recommends getting control of interruptions.

“With downsizing, people are being expected to do two or three jobs,” Firsdon said. “There are simple things – lifestyle changes – that people can make to cut down on interruptions.”

To cut down on distractions and time-suckers, Firsdon recommends:

Look around your environment and figure out why you are being interrupted. Do you have shared files in your space? Maybe moving them out of your area will cut down on interruptions.

Gain control of e-mail. “People allow their e-mail to control them instead of controlling it,” she said. She suggests not checking e-mail immediately when arriving in the office. Instead, she said, knock out a couple of things on your to-do list and then check e-mail once or twice a day instead of compulsively.

Get rid of the candy dish. Generally, when people stop for candy, they’ll start a conversation. That means work is interrupted and you have to take a few minutes to refocus.

Change the placement of your computer screen. If you make eye contact as someone walks by, they often will stop – either because they want to or because they feel obligated to.

Do the worst thing on your to-do list first. Otherwise, you will procrastinate doing it for the rest of the day. If you take care of it early, then you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and be more productive for the rest of the day.

Take two minutes to complete easy tasks when you get them. Ask yourself, “Would this take me less than two minutes to complete?” For example, if you get an invitation, take two minutes to RSVP instead of going back to it three times and costing yourself six minutes to re-read it. Much disorganization is caused by the lack of making a decision or the postponement of making a decision, Firsdon said.

Delegate to others. Managers have a very hard time delegating, she added. If managers are able to delegate one 15-minute task a day, they will save themselves an hour and 15 minutes a week.

“These things are not rocket science,” Firsdon said. “But sometimes we actually welcome the interruptions, so ask yourself, ‘Why do I want to get interrupted?’”

I’ve got to run – now that my column is written, I can cross it off my to-do list and get back to checking my e-mail, answering my phone and inviting an interruption. Anyone want to go to lunch?

Arundi Venkayya Cox is the editor of DaytonB2B. Contact her at (937) 225-2274 or avenkayyacox@coxohio.com.