Handling interruptions

To keep costs down, I asked our receptionists one time if they could answer customer queries and complete simple documentation. I was taken aback when they said "No, definitely not". They were adamant that the constant interruptions from phone calls and visitors would result in errors, and they weren't prepared to do a bad job for me. They said: "If you don't believe us, do it yourself."

So I did, and sat on reception. And they were right: it was impossible to concentrate, and in 4 hours I completed one task only, when normally I'd have flown through dozens. It reminded me of my early days programming: if you lost your thread of thought, it took ages to get it back, and sometimes you'd lost a good idea for ever.

A recent article in Forbes magazine brought this all flooding back, as it described how you could measure interruptions. The quoted studies showed each time flow state is disrupted it takes fifteen minutes to get back into it, and that programmers who work in the top quartile of proper (ie uninterrupted) work environments are several times more productive than those who don’t.

To measure the Flow State Percentage, you need to ask workers to track for a few days how many hours each day are they in flow, divided by the number of total hours they’re at the office. And then brainstorm ways the team can move this number up. For example: a sign at each person’s desk that says “Please don't interrupt me, I’m in flow.” Or maybe you have periods where one person fields all calls. Or agree that for half a day, everyone turns off Outlook.

The modern disease of low attention spans is only made worse by smartphones picking up email. So why not just turn it off, and pick up email every 3-4 hours ? You'll feel less pressure, and suddenly you'll have more time to get things done.

Go on, just try it. Turn off your email, I dare you...