Stop Misplacing Blame - and 3 Quick Fixes to Reclaim Focus

You don’t have an email problem or a meeting problem.

An email never sent an email and a meeting never booked a meeting. We’re misplacing the blame, and it’s costing us hours of wasted time each week.

Let that sink in for a minute.

The real issue? Interruptions—the constant barrage of distractions disguised as important and urgent work.

The good news? You can fix this. Let’s break down where these interruptions are coming from and how to regain up to 10 hours of your week—starting today.

The Root Causes: People, Technology, and Process

Interruptions don’t just happen—they have root causes.?

When it comes to the world of interruptions, there are generally only 3 root causes: people, technology, or process.?

By addressing these, you can eliminate the noise and regain your focus.

Let’s look at examples from the real world…

1. People: The Meeting Madness

We all know that meetings can be a massive waste of time, but here’s the real kicker: most meetings are pointless for at least half the people attending. Why? Because they’re invited ‘just in case.’ We’ve all been there.

Quick Fix: Push Back on Meeting Invites

Next time you get invited to a meeting, send a quick message to the person requesting your attendance and ask: Why have I been invited, and how will my attendance help? You’d be surprised how often the response is, “Oh, I just thought you might want to know, but you don’t really need to be there.”

This small pushback can save you hours of attending meetings where your presence isn’t critical.

2. Technology: The Email Overload

Emails don’t send themselves—but we sure do love to blame them. The real problem isn’t the number of emails you receive, but the newsletters, spam, and FYI emails clogging your inbox. They’re silent interruptions that pull you in, one notification at a time.

Quick Fix: Unsubscribe and Reclaim Your Inbox

Take five minutes right now and search for “unsubscribe” in your inbox. You’ll see a list of newsletters and spam that you’ve been ignoring or deleting for weeks. In just a few minutes, unsubscribe from 25+ of them. Every one you eliminate is one less distraction pulling you away from your important work.

3. Process: Fixing the Inefficiency Trap

This one’s sneaky—your work processes can be one of the biggest hidden time thieves. Sometimes, it’s not the people or the tools, but the outdated or inefficient way we do things that’s stealing our time.

Quick Fix: Challenge Inefficient Processes

Think about one thing you do at work that doesn’t make sense or feels inefficient. Now, identify who you need to talk to in order to (a) confirm you’re right and (b) push for a change.

Here’s a real-world example from my own experience: We had a process where someone needing a pen had to fill out a form—with a pen—and get it signed by a manager to get a new one. The process involved multiple people, including a manager, all to track a $0.25 pen. The cost of following this inefficient process was closer to $20-$50 when you added up everyone’s time.

By challenging the process and presenting the real costs, we eliminated it—saving hours of frustration and wasted time.

The Bottom Line: Reclaiming Your Time

Interruptions are stealing your time, energy, and focus. But they don’t have to. By addressing people, technology, and processes, you can take back control of your day and get back to what really matters.

Ready to reclaim your time? Start today by pushing back on unnecessary meetings, clearing out email clutter, and fixing inefficient processes. You’ll be surprised by how much time you can win back in just one week.

Your Challenge: What’s the biggest interruption in your day? Comment below or message me, and let’s talk about how to eliminate it.