Another time that you can use to your advantage is
lunchtime. This is a great opportunity for you to shut off
your phone, turn off your Internet connection, and remove
other distractions while everyone else is out of the office
having lunch. You’ll have sixty straight minutes of peace and
quiet where you can work single-mindedly to clear up some
of your most important tasks.
Do Not Disturb
Another strategy you can use is to close your office door for
certain periods each day during which you work single-
mindedly on your biggest tasks. Many executives will get a
DONOTDISTURBsign from a hotel and hang it on their door
handle at work. Everyone knows that while this sign is on the
door, no one is allowed to interrupt them except in the case
of a real emergency.
My controller, a talented and skilled woman, complained
to me that she was overwhelmed with nonstop interruptions
from different people. As a result, she was unable to get her
detailed accounting work done and send out her financial
statements and reports on schedule. After I recommended
that she put a DONOTDISTURBsign on her door and work
nonstop for one hour in the morning and one hour in the
afternoon without interruptions, it transformed her work
life. She told me afterward that, within a few days, she was
totally caught up. Even more, none of those interruptions
turned out to be so important that they couldn’t wait for a
later time.
CREATE BLOCKS OF TIME 73