Log Your Interruptions

Ever start working on something, get distracted and start working on something else--just to discover later that you never completed that first task you intended to do?

If so, you're not alone. This 'drop one project, hop to another' tendency is a common one that many people share.

Next time you begin working on something, set a timer to sound off in 10 minutes, and then begin working on your first project. When the timer goes off, determine if you're still working on your first project.

If you are, great.

If not, and you haven't yet completed that first project, stop what you're doing, jot down what interrupted you, re-set the timer and get back to working on your first project. Repeat this process throughout the day.

At the end of the day, read through your list to determine what interruptions caused you to get distracted--television, unexpected visitors, phone calls, and so on.

Once you know what these interruptions are, you can then work on eliminating them so you're not distracted by the same things tomorrow. For example, perhaps you'll turn off the TV, screen your phone calls, ask those visitors to return at a later time, etc.