It is a common complaint “I just don’t have enough time.” The trouble for most of us is that we get interrupted regularly during the day and it takes time to regain our thoughts and settle down again. Juggling too many things at once is non-productive and tasks just take longer to get finished. Multitasking might be the problem.

A simple test

Try timing yourself as you write the numbers 1-26 and letters a-z down, but write one number then one letter – 1 a 2 b 3 c… Once that is done, time yourself writing the numbers 1-26 and letters a-z. How much faster were you when you focused on one task at a time?

Some ideas

When running a business it is hard to avoid interruptions. However some of the following ideas might be worth trying:

• Turn off your email message notification and instead check your emails once an hour.
• Set aside time each day to return calls. That could be 30 minutes before lunch and another 30 minutes in the afternoon.
• Take breaks. Get out of the office and go for a walk to clear your head. It need only take five minutes. The break will de-stress you and make you more focused.
• Eat lunch away from your desk. Use your lunch break as an opportunity to interact with staff in the lunchroom.
• Close your office door and ask for no interruptions if you are working on a difficult task
• Try to handle each piece of paper only once.

Not all these ideas will work for everyone but some of them might just make your day a little bit more productive and reduce your stress.