Get in the Zone Through Time Blocking

Another Fast Company column by Gina Trapani. Here are the first two paragraphs:

In an interruption-driven culture, it’s too easy to let everyone else decide where your attention goes and how to spend your next 10 minutes. If you jump every time your phone rings, a new email arrives, your Blackberry buzzes, or someone stops by your desk, you’re undermining your most important work and costing your company money. A recent study shows that unnecessary interruptions costs the U.S. economy $650 billion dollars in lost productivity per year.

Being available to your boss and co-workers is part of your job. But the most creative and important work you do requires total focus and attention for an extended period of time. Your brain needs at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted time to dive in, concentrate on one thing, and get into the zone where you’re truly focused and doing your best work. Time blocking is a technique that sets the stage for that to happen.

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March 19, 2010 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments 

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2 Responses to “Get in the Zone Through Time Blocking”

  1. Mike Anderson on March 19th, 2010 8:00 am

    Matt,

    Good call on time blocking. I wrote a post a while ago about how I use time blocking and rewarding as a way to get through 100+ emails a day.

    http://mikeyanderson.com/blog/how-email-intervals-can-save-you-from-insanity/

    Cheers~ Mike

  2. Connie Z. on March 19th, 2010 2:24 pm

    Heh.
    Application for me as an art teacher: give students time to work un-distractedly: Blocks of time with me not peering over their shoulder. Also without peer conversations going on.

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