Work interruptions can cost you six hours a day according to an article in the Washington Post.  Interruptions can be a productivity killer in an era where the physical workplace setup tends increasingly toward open concept designs meant to maximize collaboration.   But interruptions don’t only happen in physical workplaces – they also happen in the virtual world.

The problem is that many people need intensely focused time to do their deep-thinking work, and that focus suffers because of interruptions.  Once interrupted, instead of doing the hard work of re-focusing and getting back into our deep work, we typically turn to easier, seemingly-productive work, like checking emails.  When this happens, we have not only lost our focus and momentum on our important deep work, but we have also allowed e-mails from other people to set our priorities for the day.

Some teams and individuals have reduced their interruptions by 80% or more, while also finding more constructive time together with their peers.

In this content area, we cover:

• The cost of interruptions
• Interruption logs and how to use them to collect data so that we act on evidence instead of perceptions (our perceptions of who interrupts us, how often, and for how long are often wildly incorrect!)
• The root causes of interruptions, including invisible but powerful causes 
• Proven strategies to address these causes
• How to implement your Interruption Reduction Plan
• How to measure and track your and your team’s increased productivity