Manage distractions and interruptions to improve productivity

Did you know the average office worker gets only 11 minutes in before being interrupted and will take an average of 25 minutes to return to their original task. 25 minutes... Oh, what you could do in an extra 25 minutes!

You want more time to do the things you love. So why spend more time doing the things you have to do.

How to manage distractions and interruptions

There are so many potential distractions surrounding everyone these days. Whether it be people, phones, instant messaging, emails or the temptation of the internet browser - everyone has their weakness. The pomodoro technique loses its productivity shine if you let these things get in the way, so the best thing to do is learn to block out distractions and manage interruptions early on and make the pomodoro technique even more effective for you.

• Managing distractions on your computer is simple, close your emails while you are in a session, set any instant messaging apps to 'do not disturb' and only have the internet tabs you need open, if you don't need it at all, then close it!
• Turn your mobile on to silent. If you see it ringing, do not answer it. Call back when you aren't in a session.
• Now for the hard bit, people. Sometimes you can't escape them. Where you can, inform those likely to interrupt you of your approach. If people approach you and you are in a session just let them know that you are busy and you will get back to them soon. It can take 20 minutes to get back on track after a distraction so it is worth avoiding it to improve your productivity!