How one sneaky culprit steals hours of your time every week

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Do you ever wonder where all your time goes? There’s one sneaky culprit that may be stealing hours from you every week.

“Hey, do you have a second? I have a quick question.”

It sounds innocent enough. How can a “few seconds” really cost you hours??

Simple. The quick question is an interruption.

What do interruptions lead to? Yep. Switchtasking.

Some may know it better as multitasking, but switchtasking is more accurate.

Every time your attention gets pulled away from the task at hand, you lose a lot of time.

For the average person, more than 25% is lost due to switchtasking.

That’s one workweek every month!

The good news is, there’s an easy solution.

Instead of an open-door policy, consider implementing an open-calendar policy with these tips:

1. Schedule brief one-to-one meetings with your team on a recurring basis.

2. Create a shared calendar for your team that allows the option to request a meeting as needed. Be sure only YOU can schedule the meetings officially to avoid confusion.

3. Clearly communicate that all questions that aren’t a true emergency should be saved for either of the above options.

This way, you’ll be less likely to switchtask and get MORE done in LESS time. It also sets a great example for the rest of your team.

When was the last time a quick question derailed your day?

The idea that switchtasking (aka multitasking) is the ultimate form of productivity is a complete myth. In fact, it’s the polar opposite of it. If you’re not sold on this, I encourage you to read my recently updated book, The Myth of Multitasking, to learn more on the topic and what to do instead. You can find it here: multitaskbook.com.


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