Pardon the Interruption

It’s not your imagination — you really aren’t able to concentrate at the office as well as you used to. And according to growing evidence, the fault lies primarily with the near-constant stream of interruptions and distractions that we all experience in the workplace.

A psychiatrist at King’s College in London recruited 80 volunteers to solve a series of problems into different environments: one quiet, the other a constant bombardment of telephone calls and e-mail messages. Even though the participants were told they could ignore the interruptions, their average IQ score dropped by about 10 points. By way of comparison, smoking marijuana only knocks 5 points off your IQ score.

Information overload doesn’t just man phone calls and e-mails, however — most if us are overwhelmed by too much data. A study at Kansas State University found that those scrolling tickers and headlines so common on TV news and financial shows — intended to give us more facts and awareness — actually reduce viewers’ ability to remember the information presented by ten percent.

This isn’t really surprising — the newfound emphasis in most workplaces on collaboration and open-door policies invites more interruptions, and even legitimate e-mail traffic could take a whole day to work through. What’s more, law offices have always encouraged a “walk down the hall and ask a colleague” culture among their members. And clients are ever more eager for updates on their files. Lawyers simply can’t expect an interruption-free day.

So how can you get an honest day’s work in? Here are two quick tips for maximizing your efficiency at the office:

1. Change your Outlook settings. Most versions of MS Outlook allow you to choose how often the program checks for new messages. Adjust the default setting of five minutes to a more reasonable 15 or 30, or even longer most days, you won’t need to pick up your messages more frequently than that. Make sure your clients know about your new settings, however, so they’re not left waiting for an instantaneous answer.

2. Lock down your office. Your standard hotel “Do Not Disturb” sign is an underrated efficiency tool. Choose an hour of your day to “lock down” your office from interruptions — shut down your e-mail program, put your phone on call forward, and hang that DND sign on your door. Your assistant can screen incoming requests and can notify you of any emergency priorities. And you get an hour to really bear down and work on that must-do file.

Neither the author nor the CBA should be construed as endorsing any product or website listed in this article. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CBA.
In this document, any reference to "jurist" or "lawyer" includes, where appropriate, "Québec notary".