April 14th, 2009 by Dave Perks

When there’s nothing left to do but back up.

About this post:

Dave Perks discusses the abundance of distractions we all face during any given day at the office and suggests methods for dealing with them.

Filed under Productivity, Tips, Tricks & Hints

This model of me at my desk is not to scale, nor is it accurate in color.

Man it's easy to get distracted. There's the internet, of course. Twitter. Facebook. Linkedin. A host of others and I haven't even walked away from my desk yet. That puts a whole other stream of shiny objects in your path. Co-workers who may not have seen last night's episode of The Office. Coffee that either needs to be brewed or poured, or poured out and re-brewed. Lunch. The gym. Co-workers who aren't sure if YOU saw last night's episode of The Office. Oh, and of course, meetings.

How do we actually get any work done during the day? No wonder so many of us end up taking work home at night under the illusion that we're working way too hard.

All the while, deadlines loom. The people around you assume you're actually working while you're at your desk.

I'll admit that I've fallen victim to every single scenario in that first paragraph many many many times. Recently, though, I've gotten to the point of overload. I simply can't keep up with the distractions. So I'm reversing course. Distractions, like phobias, are only as strong as we allow them to be. Eliminating them or controlling them makes getting through a day's work far less daunting.

I'm instituting several methods to curtail the constant flow of everything that's not what I'm supposed to be doing. I'll also be the first to admit that these are not exactly revolutionary ideas. I'm simply throwing my preferences out there to try and start a conversation. If you've got a better approach, please share it. If nothing else, I could use more options. So, that being said, here's what I'm doing:

No more Tabs (Unless absolutely necessary)

Tabs have done to surfing the Internet what picture-in-picture did to TV. With all those options available at the same time, it's hard to focus on just one. How many times have you realized that you have no idea what it was you were looking for and you're basically just lost in a sea of tabs?

For me, the only time tabs are really all that useful is when I'm researching something and I need multiple reference points. With tabs, I don't have to bookmark them, I can go back to them pretty quickly and eliminate the ones that I decide are not useful.

Other than that, the only thing I've used them for is holding on to things that seem interesting and making mental notes to go back to them. Yeah. Right. That'll happen.

Have a plan for the day.

It may not work out the way you plan it, but at least it's there. Everyone thinks they have a monopoly on crazy days that don't work out the way they had planned. Well, guess what? That's life. If all we had to do was write down on a piece of paper everything that would happen by the end of the day and it came true, my to do lists would look like this:

• Wake up
• Find $1 million under my bed
• Spend rest of day doing whatever I want
• Go somewhere REALLY nice for dinner

That being said, there are chunks of just about every day during which I can do something aside from put out the fires lit by my co-workers, friends and family. So it's nice to have a list of things to choose from to make use of that time. Otherwise, I'd just sit in that window of opportunity and do nothing. (Granted, there are times when that's nice, too.)

Before I move on, I must now take a moment and address all those who know me and know that I have been a lifelong fun-maker of people who rely on lists. I now acknowledge the error of my ways and forsake my past as a non-maker of lists.

Important side note for above item

Maybe it's because I'm a relatively new convert to believing in lists, but I think one list is enough. Seriously, I look at my day as a whole. Everything's fluid and some times are better than others to get certain things done. So if I only have to keep up with one list, whether it's on paper or online, then I always know where to go to find it.

I mix writing tasks with meeting tasks with my son's baseball practice with my honey-do list (hi honey!). It's all there together. To me, it makes sense. When I'm at work, there are certain times during the day that I write better than others.

Likewise, when I'm at home, there are times when it's easier to start a project than others. I can always pick the appropriate task based on the circumstances.

Inbox Zero

Merlin Mann over at 43 Folders is no slouch when it comes to making time to create stuff. His writings about productivity are some of the best I've read. Plus, he's entertaining. So rather than me tell you what you need to know, just go there and read all about it for yourself. Fear not, it's time well spent.

I will say this, though, about the topic of an empty inbox. As easy as it is to fall into the trap of checking your email every 5 minutes, it's just as easy to become fanatical about keeping your inbox free and clear. Don't. Counter-productivity is a close cousin to getting things done. Don't go overboard. Check your email every 30 minutes or an hour and you may have a few at a time to clean out, but it won't overwhelm you.

Constant Vigilance

I spent several hours the other night cleaning out email inboxes, Facebook message lists, and Twitter folks I get nothing from. It was a long night, but probably one of the more productive I've had. Now my daily plan has to include a little time each day to manage the influx of information, separate the useful from the useless and archive what I need to hold on to in a way that makes sense.

Easier said than done, I know. I've been here before – at the intersection of a clean desk and an empty inbox. It didn't last long. Hopefully this time will be different. I'll let you know at the end of the week.

Take advantage of the adrenaline rush

Right now, I'm writing this post because I'm excited about the fact that I've managed to get myself relatively organized, not because I consider myself an expert in productivity and putting things back where they belong. But I have another reason for writing it.

Accountability.

I've now put it out to the world that I've accomplished a state of email zen and a relative state of efficiency. And my parents didn't raise a liar, so if you email me in a month and ask me how many unread messages I have, I'll tell you. And if you want proof, I'll send you a screenshot.

So there it is, my commitment to staying on top of things and focused on the task at hand. This is no small change. I can use all the tricks I can find, so I'd love it if you'd share your favorite tips and tricks for staying productive in a distracting world.

Speak up.

Respect.NewCity will never distribute, sell or otherwise treat your information like its ours to run around all willy-nilly, hither and yon with. That's because we appreciate your contribution to the conversation.