1
00:00:00,211 --> 00:00:02,794
(gentle music)

2
00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:10,480
- Workers get interrupted
an average of every

3
00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,000
three minutes and five
seconds, but it can take up to

4
00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,630
23 minutes and 15 seconds
for them to get back on task.

5
00:00:16,630 --> 00:00:19,890
These kind of disruptions
waste 28 billion hours a year,

6
00:00:19,890 --> 00:00:23,080
at a loss of nearly a trillion
dollars to the US economy.

7
00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:24,730
Here's how to get a handle on it.

8
00:00:26,330 --> 00:00:28,070
When you're not sure
where your time is going,

9
00:00:28,070 --> 00:00:30,560
look to a source of truth: your calendar.

10
00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:32,340
Where is most of your day spent?

11
00:00:32,340 --> 00:00:34,610
If it's in meetings, a solid first step

12
00:00:34,610 --> 00:00:36,490
in carving out more time for productivity

13
00:00:36,490 --> 00:00:38,780
is to evaluate each
meeting and to understand

14
00:00:38,780 --> 00:00:40,560
whether or not it could be eliminated.

15
00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,520
Even the smallest of
interruptions add up over time.

16
00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,720
Katherine Webb, the blog
manager at Hubstaff,

17
00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:48,440
says, "A check-in meeting
eats up an hour or more

18
00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:50,240
that could have been
used for productive work,

19
00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:51,650
and the interruption makes it harder

20
00:00:51,650 --> 00:00:54,250
for your team to focus
on their top priorities.

21
00:00:54,250 --> 00:00:56,110
Add in any other meetings on the calendar,

22
00:00:56,110 --> 00:00:57,810
and you might find that
your team is spending

23
00:00:57,810 --> 00:00:59,850
30% to 50% of their time in meetings

24
00:00:59,850 --> 00:01:01,947
that could be automated or eliminated."

25
00:01:03,770 --> 00:01:06,370
According to some psychologists,
flow state is a feeling

26
00:01:06,370 --> 00:01:08,270
when under the right
conditions, you become

27
00:01:08,270 --> 00:01:10,250
fully immersed in whatever you're doing.

28
00:01:10,250 --> 00:01:13,030
While flow state is ideal
for hard to complete tasks,

29
00:01:13,030 --> 00:01:15,080
it's tough to achieve consistently.

30
00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:16,880
Three practices can help.

31
00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:20,200
Quieting internal stimuli,
such as being too hot or cold,

32
00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,300
or being distracted with thoughts;

33
00:01:22,300 --> 00:01:25,560
blocking external stimuli, so noise, kids,

34
00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,770
texts, or phone calls; using
practiced mental processes

35
00:01:28,770 --> 00:01:30,890
as opposed to those that
you are unfamiliar with,

36
00:01:30,890 --> 00:01:34,250
and require additional mental
load or metafocus to complete.

37
00:01:34,250 --> 00:01:36,730
The third task is probably
the most complicated.

38
00:01:36,730 --> 00:01:39,050
You'll need to train your
brain on required tasks

39
00:01:39,050 --> 00:01:40,830
to make them part of your muscle memory.

40
00:01:40,830 --> 00:01:43,130
It's like when you make a
sandwich for lunch, and go on

41
00:01:43,130 --> 00:01:46,070
autopilot, not necessarily
thinking through all the steps.

42
00:01:46,070 --> 00:01:47,900
For example, when you write down a task,

43
00:01:47,900 --> 00:01:49,730
be as specific as possible.

44
00:01:49,730 --> 00:01:52,210
Rather than just writing
"Call Jim," include details

45
00:01:52,210 --> 00:01:54,360
like the phone number and
what the call is about.

46
00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:55,790
As you work to reach a flow state,

47
00:01:55,790 --> 00:01:58,500
it's helpful to block time
away from external distractions

48
00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:00,330
so you can quiet internal stimuli,

49
00:02:00,330 --> 00:02:02,193
and focus on those tough tasks.

50
00:02:04,150 --> 00:02:07,010
When you're working in an
office surrounded by coworkers,

51
00:02:07,010 --> 00:02:09,710
the environment itself
breeds accountability.

52
00:02:09,710 --> 00:02:12,540
People will notice if you're
not exactly doing your job.

53
00:02:12,540 --> 00:02:14,790
But working from home is another story.

54
00:02:14,790 --> 00:02:17,140
Who's there to notice if
you're staying on track or not?

55
00:02:17,140 --> 00:02:19,100
If you or your colleagues
are having difficulties

56
00:02:19,100 --> 00:02:22,150
working from home, consider
sticking to a schedule,

57
00:02:22,150 --> 00:02:24,620
or, if you live with
others, have them tell you

58
00:02:24,620 --> 00:02:26,140
if they see you slacking off.

59
00:02:26,140 --> 00:02:27,910
And bosses should trust their team members

60
00:02:27,910 --> 00:02:30,500
with a bit more flexibility,
as everyone figures out

61
00:02:30,500 --> 00:02:32,450
how to be their most productive selves,

62
00:02:32,450 --> 00:02:34,270
and best hold themselves accountable.

63
00:02:34,270 --> 00:02:37,070
Ideally, this will breed more
productive, loyal, and happy

64
00:02:37,070 --> 00:02:40,272
employees, and a better
bottom line for the company.

65
00:02:40,272 --> 00:02:42,624
(gentle music)

66
00:02:42,624 --> 00:02:45,874
(wind blowing gently)