"Reduce Distraction and Vanquish Procrastination"
By Jeff Davidson, MBA,CMC

Interruptions can be the curse of a productive day. Allowing people to step into your office to "quickly run something by you" can be fatal and end up costing you a precious hour of your time. Learn to be firm with interrupters and limit them with a definite, "I’ve only got five minutes, how can I help you most?"

Strike while the iron is hot.

If someone wants to call you later, stop them with "No, I’ll be busy later, how can I help you now?" Make the time limit visible with a clear timepiece on or above your desk, and by making closing gestures such as shuffling papers when the time is up. Keep a pleasant attitude by inserting humor to ease the brush-off ("I’ve enjoyed the break, back to work now I guess!"), and mark the ending point with a "thank-you" which always signals the close of a meeting.

Notice what I’m doing.

Another way to close a brief meeting-make people aware of your other commitments by making them wait a moment while you make a note about what you’re working on. Inevitably they will take the hint and offer to come back later. If nothing else works, interrupting a lengthy discussion with a startled "Wait, what time is it?" will help bring things to a close.

Break big jobs down to size.

It’s tempting to put off a big job. By procrastinating, you only make your life and work more difficult. Time management consultant Nan Lakein suggests that "if you divide the job into small increments and focus on them individually, the task will not seem so intimidating. He calls this technique for punching holes in large jobs "The Swiss Cheese Method." See the end, endure the rest.

Tackle me first.

One of the better ways to handle critical tasks you prefer not to do is to handle them first. That way, you have something to look forward to, given the more pleasing tasks await. Anytime you have discretion over the order in which you tackle steps or sub-goals on the way to achieving something, attempt to handle the seemingly unpleasant elements first.

Record it in black and white.

When you plot on paper what you’re going to do and by when, you reduce the incidences of not getting started on time. To break through any self-imposed limits to getting started on something, share your deadlines with others to engender the support they may provide. Also offer yourself small rewards as you complete certain aspects of the undesirable task, and set up rest or break times, so the activity doesn’t seem so onerous.

Clear the decks.

If you’re having a brutal time getting started, clear your desk of everything, except the materials related to the task at hand. The less visual distractions you have, the greater the probability you can stay focused on the task at hand.

Look for a partner, even for a few minutes, who can help you get started. It helps especially if you can find a trailblazer-someone who’s already had to tackle what you currently face.

Take a sneak preview.

If you have to tackle something on Monday that you’ve been putting off, it’s often helpful to briefly view the project (say on Friday), so when you return to it on Monday you have some semblance of familiarity with the particulars.

This can also work during the middle of the week before you leave for vacation, and anytime there will be a few days or a few hours between when you preview the item and actually work on it.

Leave it open-ended

Have an open-ended amount of time to tackle the project.

For many tasks, once you get started you’ll want to go all the way to completion. You don’t want to have to fold up everything because you didn’t leave enough time during the day. Hence, start early in the morning, on a day when you have no other appointments or anything scheduled so you can devote as much time as it takes, and if indeed you can complete the task in a day, you will often find you do.