The overhead associated with task switching has been well documented. It takes a minimum 15-20 minutes to get back into the flow of whatever you were doing before the phone rang or you checked your email, or answered that IM.
So why do we do it? I find myself so easily distracted and at the same time, easily annoyed by the distractions (most of them anyway). I’ve been aware of this problem for quite a while and even publicly acknowledged it here some months back.
I think my years in corporate America ruined me. I have to admit I've spent many, many meetings answering emails on my Treo under the table, doing work on the computer while on conference calls, and conducting multiple simultaneous conversations.
Some of my work now requires more concentration for longer periods of time, and I struggle with this. I’ve added some new techniques to my repertoire. I’ve turned off all of my email notifications – even the little envelope in the systray. I’ve also gotten better at letting my phones go to voice mail. The biggest thing I’ve done is to mentally time limit myself. I tell myself that I am going to spend 20 minutes dedicated to a specific task (like writing this blog). I can do almost anything for 20 minutes, and then see what kinds of interesting emails and voice mails I might have gotten once I'm done.
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