The more boring, tedious, and complicated a task, the greater the temptation to avoid the unpleasant work with interruptions that you engineer yourself. But sooner or later you have to deal with the matter and then you have to pay the price for the interruptions - you feel less happy, you work under time pressure, and you might not deliver the best quality.
Here are the most common types of self-interruption in offices and what you can do about them and manage your time effectively in the process:
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1 - Stay in one place. Problem: You visit another department or branch although it really isn't necessary or the matter could be sorted on the phone.
What you can do: Try for two weeks to consistently use the phone to solve issues. Regard every phone call as "saved travel time."
2 - Restrict creative breaks. Problem: You wander around the office or other places on your floor in order to reflect. You reason out "I just get more ideas when I'm talking to other people."
What you can do: Go over the window and spend at least three minutes looking out. At the same time, give the edge of your ear a vigorous massage, from top to bottom, three times. That massage (the so-called "thinking cap") refreshes and activates the brain.
3 - Avoid hold-ups. Problem: You frequently go to the photocopier or other shared equipment when they're in the greatest demand. You give an excuse "I had to wait in line for so long."
What you can do: Find out when the photocopier is free and do several copying operations at once. Better yet, delegate the task. This is another great way on how you can effectively manage your time.
4 - Separate the private sphere. Problem: You like to visit colleagues for a private chat. You say "Mrs. Smith is having problems with her husband."
What you can do: Meet outside office hours, for instance during lunch breaks or after your shift.
5 - Restrict meetings. Problem: Discussions and meetings with colleagues drag on and on. You say "We must get to know each other more so we will know best on how to work together on a project."
What you can do: Invite only those members of staff who really have something to do with the project. Define the subject clearly beforehand and set a time limit. You can indicate this when you send a meeting invite via email. If you are not the organizer of the meeting, you can set this limit individually: "I need to be away by 4:00 p.m."
6 - Avoid small talks. Problem: You are extra fond of making small chats with your colleagues that it is getting in the way of your productive time.
What you can do: Maintain the social network in the morning, at lunchtime, and after your shift. This way you show that you are willing to mix with colleagues and you respect them and their time. Some interruptions by colleagues are instinctive attempts to maintain the solidarity of the group. Five minutes each day will suffice for this purpose.