Stop answering the phone & other essential productivity tips

Face it: each working day is a battle between your efforts to impose order on your working life in the face of the chaos that each day invariably brings. Between interruptions, unplanned work, impromptu meetings, endless emails and non-important phone calls, it’s a wonder any of us gets anything of significance done. How can you manage through all the distractions every day brings? Here are several strategies I’ve identified that work for me:

1. Use your calendar as a weapon

One of your primary goals is to give yourself some quiet time with as few interruptions as possible. For years I’ve blocked off every Friday afternoon on my calendar – from 1PM to 5PM I’m in a “planning meeting” each Friday. This tactic does succeed in keeping many meetings off my calendar. Unfortunately, those who work closely with me – including the boss’s assistant – have figured out that I am indeed available on Friday afternoons and as a result I sometimes find myself in meetings when I’d rather be focusing on finishing out the week productively and on planning my work for the following week.

The solution? Schedule occasional meetings with yourself (and a conference room, if possible) during the week at different times. In our facility there happens to be one conference room which is out of the way and where I’m not likely to be seen by many of my coworkers. By utilizing this room I’m able to have some quiet time away from the phone, “pop-in” visitors and other interruptions. The room has a networked PC and should I need it, a phone. One final detail: mark these meetings “private” on your calendar. No one – even those you’ve granted access to view your calendar – will know where you are. In an emergency, of course, you can be reached by cell. (BTW, don’t ovedo it – I’m suggesting an hour once in a while, particularly if you have a critical project to work on.)

2. Get rid of the crap in your (Outlook) In Box

As I outlined in another post, use Outlook’s Rules function to manage your In Box. One strategy is to allow only emails from certain people or types of people to be visible in your In Box by setting up a rule that sends all other mail into another folder entitled “All Other Mail” or something similar. Personally, I’ve recently revised my Outlook Rules to allow only email from our senior management, parent company, and anything marked High Importance to show up in my In Box. Everything else goes into an “All Other” folder. Having done this, check that folder only twice a day. Click here for an excellent article by Tim Ferriss on how to reduce the amount of time you spend in your In Box.

3. Don’t sweat the small stuff

Your success is NOT going to be gauged on your ability to deal with trivial matters. You likely have certain goals for the year; post a brief synopsis of those goals in your workspace and periodically check how you’re spending your time. If you’re spending 20%+ of your time on work which doesn’t directly relate to your key objectives, something’s wrong. An important tactic is to work on the important or tough stuff first – early in the day, early in your work week – and let the administrivia go to the end of the day and end of the work week when your energy level is lower. Use your peak energy levels to handle the difficult tasks. Scott Young’s recent post entitled “Make Your Time Top-Heavy” does a very good job of presenting this concept.

4. Quit at least twice a day Unless you’re independently wealthy, I’m not suggesting you resign your position. What I am suggesting is that you go for a walk – preferably outside – at least a couple of times a day. A little fresh air along with a break from your work and regular surroundings can help you recharge your batteries and bring a bit more energy to your work upon your return.

5. Stop Answering the Phone!

OK, let me quickly point out that I’m not advocating that you not answer calls from your colleagues or customers. You’ll have to sort out how useful the following advice is for your specific situation.

At our company, most of us have phones with a form of Caller ID. For internal calls, the caller is identified. In addition, when someone from outside the building calls my direct line, our company’s name appears in the display. So far, so good: I certainly answer these calls.

Several times a day, however, my phone’s display will read “Outside Call.” This happens when someone who does NOT know my direct line calls into our switchboard. (Actually, the display will flash “Operator” for a moment and then display “Outside Call.”) I never answer these calls. You may be thinking, “He’s exaggerating.” Uh, no. I simply do not answer these calls. Your mileage may vary, but over 80% of these calls are people trying to sell me something – ad space, consulting, market research, you name it. I have no interest in interrupting my work for these calls.

Could these calls possibly be from customers who don’t happen to have my direct line? On occasion, yes. If the caller has left a voicemail, I’ll retrieve it when I reach a point when I’m going to take a break from what I’m working on. If a customer has called, I’ll call him or her back right away.

What do I do with messages from prospective vendors whose products I have no interest in? Delete them. Quickly.

6. Work more hours!

Just kidding. But one thing I’d recommend for anyone if their circumstances and location permit, is to get to work early. If you can get to work by 8, you can get there by 7:30. There’s genuine benefit to having some quiet time before the hysteria commences. Review your goals, your priorities for the day, and get going while it’s still quiet.

Good luck! As always, comments are most welcome…

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