What do you do if your workday is filled with distractions and interruptions?

1. Create a SMART goal for each day/week 2. Organize work - online Notes or Diary 3. Set Priorities 4. Establish boundaries with colleagues 5. Avoid Multitasking and take small breaks

As a writer and business book coach it's vital that I actively manage my time for writing and for 'being there' for my clients. 1. I learnt VERY early on to schedule writing time, typically the same time period and same days each week. That way I and others know that time is not available. This approach can be used for tasks that you need to do regularly. 2. Turn off notifications and alerts when you are focusing on your primary task. Even the noise and sounds are a distraction. 3. Prioritise what you need to achieve each week and reverse engineer what day/times you're going to allocate to it. In doing this make sure you have time to review and revise. Last minute won't cut it. 4. Clearly communicate your timeframes to colleagues/clients.

Try - Time Blocking. Set specific chunks of time for focused work and stick to them like glue. This means: -No peeking at emails or -No getting sidetracked by social media. Lock in those blocks, and you'll notice your productivity soar. Don't risk falling behind on deadlines.

To handle a workday full of distractions, start by prioritizing tasks to identify your main objectives. Set boundaries by informing colleagues of your available times for discussions and when you need to focus. Organize a dedicated workspace that minimizes interruptions and use techniques like the Pomodoro Technique—25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break—to structure your time. Turn off non-essential notifications to avoid tech disruptions. Plan for inevitable interruptions by scheduling buffer periods between tasks. Regularly review your productivity strategies, adjusting as needed to improve focus and efficiency in a distracting environment.

To optimize your time as a leader, turn off notifications on your phone and laptop. You don't need to know when there's a new comment on TikTok. You don't need to know when an app has download notes. All of that visual noise depletes your cognitive resources. Here's what I recommend for your phone: 1. The only sound on your phone should be the ringtone for an incoming phone call. 2. Limit incoming calls by changing the setting so that only known numbers from your contacts will ring. Unknown numbers go to voicemail. 3. Leave visual notifications on only for texts and emails. 4. For every app, turn off the notification feature. 5. Worried about missing an important email from your manager or a key client? Identify them as a "VIP sender."

It is important to keep cell phone notifications and other non urgent notifications at bay. Also try to give time within the day to check on those notifications so that they don't pile up and so you don't miss anything important whiles looking to finish work.

This is very dependant on the job you are doing. Press Officers have to reprioritise their time after every call and turning off your phone is not an option. Where we do have to spend time on long term projects we manage by organising a call taker and lines to take on all stories that are current and a deadline taken so we know when the question need a response. Of course that is always flexible as some people push but it is not in your own organisations priority to be rushed. Even so some stories break which will throw all that to the wall. Distractions are not checking messages but anything which is not work related and that is an issue for the person.

> Start w/eliminating subscriptions from your inbox. Follow thought leaders on LinkedIn only (you don't have to subscribe to their emails). > Let people know your preference for the most urgent (important) messages. Is it SLACK, TEAMS, or IM of another sort (text)? Tagging you is OK, SOMETIMES. > Be on a need-to-know basis & encourage direct reports to accumulate all non urgent messages in a running list for a weekly 1:1. > Be an effective delegator. Delegate to responsible people for F/U w/CLEAR directions the 1st time. > Keep an old fashioned pad of paper at hand to scribble notes. But put reminders at most handy...like in your online calendars for important reminders. Use Google Docs or Sheets for sharing important lists with others.

Para una mayor concentración es má rentable silenciar las notificaciones tanto del email como del teléfono durante ciertos periodos de tiempo. La mayoría de las interrupciones no necesitan ser vistas o respondidas inmediatamente. De esta manera se puede entrar en hiperfoco y ser más productivo.

Defend your time and get more done. For non-urgent matters, suggest alternative communication methods like email or scheduled meetings. Respect begets respect. Lead by example and respect their focus time as well, creating a culture of mutual understanding and support.

This is such a difficult topic. Navigate this carefully as so many interruptions come at the right time, whether we like it or not. Just be mindful not to let them become firefighting as a distraction vs as a necessity.

Clearly communicate your availability and preferred methods of communication to colleagues and stakeholders. Establishing boundaries around when you are available for meetings, calls, or collaboration helps create uninterrupted blocks of time for focused work.

I am able to focus and control activity around me, i.e., distractions, fairly well. As far as interruptions in the office, our ServiceSkills training includes something for internal customers--your coworkers--called WACTEO. It means "We Are Customers To Each Other," and we are taught to ask if someone has a minute (and get a "yes") before we launch into something more lengthy.

N?o esteja sempre disponível para sua equipe, sen?o ficará o sobrecarregado (a) com interrup??es constantes. Estabele?a limites claros, informando sua equipe sobre seus horários de "porta aberta e fechada", durante os quais n?o estará disponível, exceto em casos de urgência, emergência e críticos. Isso ajuda a equipe a se tornar mais aut?noma e permiti que cada um se concentre em tarefas que exigiam sua própria aten??o ininterrupta.

In the auto-decline message on my Google Calendar for my "Focus time" blocks, I write: "Thank you for helping me achieve a flow state ????". Of course, there are chaotic times when you've to shift those blocks around. And that's ok. There should always be room for flexibility, especially in our profession.

Time blocking can be your BFF against workday chaos! Think of your day as a puzzle, and each task is a piece. Time blocking involves scheduling specific slots for each task, like writing that press release or brainstorming campaign ideas. Treat these blocks like sacred ground – silence notifications and focus solely on that task during its time. This way, distractions don't derail your flow, and you chip away at your to-do list with laser focus. Plus, seeing your day visually mapped out in blocks can be super motivating! Give it a try, you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Time blocking is where I get my best effort. I tend to do a 25/5 rotation. 25 minutes work, 5 minutes break. It diffuses any monotony I experience but I also extend this to the days of the week. First two days of the week, I leave the first 2 hours as fluid, to address issues, have meetings, walk around if I have to. It tends to help with keeping my priority items on target.

Delegate when possible: If certain tasks can be delegated to others, don't hesitate to do so to lighten your workload. Take breaks: Regular breaks can help maintain productivity and reduce stress. Use breaks to recharge and refocus.

When I need to execute a task that requires deep thinking, I leverage binaural beats for focus and set a time for up to 60 minutes to execute. Best free app I've used for this is Brain Waves.

Perceba que seu ambiente de trabalho barulhento pode estar afetando sua criatividade. Reorganize seu espa?o de trabalho para estar mais isolado (a) do ruído e comece a usar fones de ouvido com cancelamento de ruído. Além disso, quando possível e autorizado por sua organiza??o, traga plantas para seu escritório para melhorar o ambiente. Essas mudan?as simples transformaram sua capacidade de se concentrar e ser criativo (a).

Do a 5 minutes of mindfulness exercise before starting the day. Keeps the mind focused and clear to set the day's tone. An optimised self (like a phone), creates fewer interruptions and develops focus.

Reflection is critical - whatever you are doing. At the end of the day read your journal and ask do a post motorola. Sort out what worked and what didn't and how to shift the balance. That may mean getting out of your comfort zone and upsetting a few people but.. Remember all you control is your AIR - your actions, your inactions and your reactions. If you are not sure how much time you are actually losing to FOMO read 'Stolen Focus' by Johann Hari. But at some point in time you will have to get thoroughly organised so that the time you have is best used for what you want to achieve. When you are ready to do that try reading; 'Getting Things Done' by David Allen - or, watch some of his videos first - then read the book.

Love this Neil’ Remember all you control is your AIR - your actions, your inactions and your reactions.’????- may have to steal these pearls of wisdom!

Love this Neil’ Remember all you control is your AIR - your actions, your inactions and your reactions.’????- may have to steal these pearls of wisdom!

Love this Neil’ Remember all you control is your AIR - your actions, your inactions and your reactions.’????- may have to steal these pearls of wisdom!

They say keeping a gratitude journal is key to happiness. Hard to keep up daily, but it helps you feel fulfilled. I also like to write my lifetime goals out several times a year. They don't change much, but it helps me prioritize what matters most (Covey). Meeting new people, trying new things, travel and increasing my foreign language facility are high on my list. What's on yours?

One - this is why I loved hybrid. Days in the office were for in-person meetings, brainstorms, and interactions with key stakeholders (legal, finance) etc. On WFH days I would intentionally block off 2-3 hour chunks for work to get done and leave my phone in another room. Two - if you lead a team, especially Comms, you need to delegate. I had a rule in place for a while that unless we were planning a major campaign, no more than one Comms person would attend a meeting. Otherwise meetings would get out of control. The team would divide and conquer and pull in additional help (design, digital) as needed while keeping me up to date and pulling me in for reinforcement of help was needed.

I am going to share with you my experience as ex head of corporate communication for Sony Europe. I used to focus on maintaining clear, concise communication with my team and stakeholders. Regular, brief check-ins helped ensure everyone was aligned and could adapt to unforeseen disruptions. I also relied on delegation, entrusting team members with responsibilities that leveraged their strengths, which helped to keep projects moving forward efficiently despite any interruptions. It did help us dealing with short deadlines and crisis communication especially when the Sony battery crisis came up!

There are a lot of great suggestions in these threads. All of them flow from the principle of vigorously defending your time by prioritizing with all due diligence. Multitasking is a fallacy. Focus leads to success.

I have found that in many organisations in India, people "socialise" by dropping in at work areas of colleagues to interact for small talk. Another avoidable "(mal)practice" is meetings at the drop of a hat. Almost 95% of meetings are avoidable without affecting work. I have worked with bosses who strongly discouraged meetings and unnecessary "socialising". The focus was on doing your work and managing your team; interactions with other Heads of Departments (HODs) were on the internal phones to the maximum. One of my bosses didn't call HODs for any interaction unless required; such "meetings" lasted for 5 minutes. His approach was - "Don't waste my time and I will not waste yours". No distractions, all the time to concentrate on work!