One of the challenges of being a “Maker” – an individual whose job is to create or produce independent results – is protecting your time from the constant intrusion of meetings, email, and other electronic distractions. It’s a particular challenge for software developers, writers, researchers, and designers who work inside large organizations where they need to interact with other roles that have very different needs.
Makers thrive when they are able to hold large blocks of uninterrupted time sacred in order to solve complex problems. But often, their pesky co-workers and even their managers seem to be conspiring against them. Here are the top 3 productivity killers that successful Makers avoid at all costs:
Fragmentation
A calendar chopped into pieces by a 30-minute meeting at 10am and another at 2pm can decimate an entire day’s productivity. By clustering meetings on certain days and times, Makers can reclaim precious hours of productivity. Even better if you are able to align creative time with your peak energy and attend meetings when you are feeling less resourceful.
If you’re in a culture where whitespace on the calendar is up for grabs, block working time. Random meetings are less likely to suddenly appear if the time appears “Busy” on the calendar. Even better, decide what specific work you’ll do in each of those blocks. The commitment of a calendar block increases the likelihood of applying that time to your highest priority work.
Drive-bys
“Do you mind if I just ask you a quick question?” It sounds innocent enough but recovering from an interruption is another productivity vacuum. According to Professor Gloria Mark from UC Irvine, the average office worker is interrupted every 3 minutes. To protect your working time, we recommend that you hide! Find a quiet place that is not your office and use it as your secret thinking space. Don’t tell anyone where you are and put your phone on silent. While this can be challenging in cultures that place a high value on collaboration, remember that the way you create value for the organization is based primarily on your output, not on your responsiveness to others.
Pings
Email and IM notifications are not harmless! Each time one appears, it interrupts focus and invites the mind to wander. Studies suggest that each time our eye goes to that notification, we could be losing as much 64 seconds of productivity. Most of us need no invitation to distraction so it’s important to minimize it wherever possible. By setting expectations with your co-workers around email response times or turning your IM status to “Do Not Disturb”, Makers can protect working time without seeming unresponsive. My team and I have made explicit agreements around what constitutes something “urgent” and in the event there is an emergency, a text message is the agreed upon communication vehicle.
William Penn said, “Time is what we want most, but what, alas! we use worst.” If you are a Maker, your success depends on how you use this precious resource. Steer clear of these common productivity traps and enjoy the luxury of time to spare.
