Think of the time you spend during your workday like Chinese water torture. This is the popular name for a method of water torture in which water is slowly dripped onto a person's forehead, slowly and unpredictably, driving the victim insane. The victim tries to predict when the next drop will fall causing tension build up. When the drop finally does fall, a sense of shock and then relief follows, only to be replaced with more tension about the next drop.

Believe it or not, you experience a feeling similar to Chinese water torture every day. According to the National Association of Professional Organizers, the average business person is interrupted, or dripped on, approximately 60 times per day. Each interruption lasts an average of five minutes or a total of four hours per day. These interruptions come primarily in the form of phone calls, emails, and other people dropping by. So if you are busy working on a project and your email dings (an unexpected drip), your body tenses up or “twitches.” Your mind now shifts away from what you are doing to make a decision about what needs to be done with the interruption. Multiply this by 60 and you have a very stressful and non-productive situation indeed!

So here’s some ways to reduce your “twitches” so you can feel more accomplished at the end of your day:

1. Turn OFF your email notification. If you are feeling like a slave to your email, this can help you feel like the master.
2. Check your email 3 times a day (OR less than every 5 seconds!). If you are in a customer service position, this may not work BUT if you can resist obsessively checking email, you will twitch less and have more time to get other work done before checking it again.
3. Use voice mail and turn the ringer off. (See #1 above.)
4. Create daily office hours and post them. Just like professors, let others know when you are available to field questions and issues. Otherwise, your time is your own for projects or meetings.
5. Go where you can’t be found. When you are trying to get some reading or important work done, sign yourself into an empty conference room or go to the cafeteria off hours to reduce your interruptions.

Rev It Up Reading is our new public workshop that helps busy people get up to speed with what they read. The spring/summer schedule includes:

• May 25 - Atlanta, GA
• June 8 - Boston, MA
• June 15 - New York City, NY
• July 21 - Hartford, CT
• July 27 - Basking Ridge, NJ

Register early for our Early Bird Discounts or always get 10% off if you bring a friend (both receive the discount). THANK YOU for sharing this with your family, friends and colleagues!