Indistractable

point—our technology should serve us, not the other way around.

•    External triggers often lead to distraction. Cues in our environment like the pings, dings, and rings from devices, as well as interruptions from other people, frequently take us off track.

•    External triggers aren’t always harmful.

interruptions clearly have an impact on our work performance for any job requiring focus.

Open-office floor plans were supposed to foster idea sharing and collaboration. Unfortunately, according to a 2016 metastudy of over three hundred papers, the trend has led to more distraction. Not surprisingly, these interruptions have also been shown to decrease overall employee satisfaction.

The card contains, in large font, a simple request to passersby: I NEED TO FOCUS RIGHT NOW, BUT PLEASE COME BACK SOON. Place the card on your computer monitor to let your colleagues know that you don’t want to be interrupted.

•    Interruptions lead to mistakes. You can’t do your best work if you’re frequently distracted.

The most important aspect of an email, from a time management perspective, is how urgently it needs a reply.

The first time we open an email, before closing it, answer this question: When does this email require a response? Tagging each email as either “Today” or “This Week” attaches the most important information to each new message, preparing it for the second (and last) time we open it.

My daily schedule includes dedicated time for replying to emails I’ve tagged “Today.”

I reserve a three-hour timebox each week to plow through the less urgent messages I’ve tagged “This Week.”

at the end of my week, I review my schedule to assess whether the time on my calendar for emailing was sufficient and adjust my timeboxed schedule for the week ahead.

group chat is “like being in an all-day meeting with random participants and no agenda.”

Here are four basic rules for effectively managing group chat:

RULE 1: USE IT LIKE A SAUNA

“treat chat like a sauna—stay a while but then get out . . . it’s unhealthy to stay too long.”

It’s important to set colleagues’ expectations by letting them know when you plan to be unavailable.

When it comes to group chat, be selective about who’s invited to the conversation.

“A conference call with three people is perfect. A call with six or seven is chaotic and woefully inefficient. Group chats are no different. Be careful inviting the whole gang when you only need a few.” The key is to make sure that everyone present is able to add and extract value from being a part of the conversation.

Meetings today are full of people barely paying attention as they send emails to each other about how bored they are.