If you constantly stay late at work and work on weekends, it’s not because you have too much work, but because you can’t get everything done during work hours. The reason for this is constant interruptions.
Think about this: When do you do most of your work? If you’re like most people, it’s in the evening or early morning. And this isn’t just a coincidence, as it’s the time when there are no distractions around you.
At 2 PM, people are usually in meetings, responding to emails, or chatting with colleagues. All those friendly pats on the back, little impromptu conversations, and smoke breaks may seem harmless, but they actually eat away at your workday. Interruptions are not collaboration; they are simply interruptions. And when you’re interrupted, you haven’t accomplished your work. Interruptions break your workday into fragments of productivity: 45 minutes of work, then a call; 15 minutes, then lunch; an hour later, you have a meeting. Before you know it, it’s already 5 PM, and you have only a couple of hours left to finish your tasks without any breaks. You won’t be able to achieve anything significant when you’re constantly starting and stopping, starting again, and getting interrupted once more.
Instead, you should seek solitude. Long stretches of solitary work are when you are most productive. If you don’t have to switch your brain between different tasks, you can fully immerse yourself in your work. (Notice, by the way, how much work you can get done on a plane when you’re disconnected from the internet and completely free from external distractions). Entering the zone of productivity takes time and requires avoiding interruptions. It’s like dreaming. You can’t just close your eyes and start dreaming. First, you fall asleep, and only then do you reach the stage of sleep where you dream. If you’re awakened, you’ll have to start that process all over again. Similarly, when you seek solitude, a miracle happens just like in dreams — in sleep, you begin to dream, and in work, you become most productive.
You don’t necessarily need to have quiet hours before dawn or after sunset. You can establish a rule in your company that half of the workday belongs solely to the employees. Declare it for yourselves, say from 10 AM to 2 PM. Let people refrain from talking to each other (except during lunch breaks). Or simply set aside the first or second half of the day for yourself.your.a personal zone of solitude. Or, instead of “casual Friday,” try introducing “silent Thursday.” Just make sure this period lasts uninterrupted to avoid productivity-destroying interruptions.
And keep it up. A successful period of solitude also means breaking away from the communication “drug.” During this time, close your instant messaging apps or other systems, turn off your phone, don’t check your email, don’t schedule meetings, and don’t read that blog. Just shut up and work. You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish in this time.
Also, if you need collaboration, try to use passive communication methods, such as email, which do not require an immediate response, unlike phones or in-person meetings. This way, people can reply to you when it’s convenient for them, rather than having to drop everything to give you their attention.
Your workday is under siege by interruptions. It’s up to you to decide whether you can fend them off.