The High Cost of Interruption
There is a song by Jamey Johnson that I love. It is called the High Cost of Living. As I write this post, I can’t help but hear that song playing in my head. It’s relevant, but definitely not directly related. Here are the lyrics that drive the title.
The high cost of living ain’t nothing like the cost of living high. – Jamey Johnson
Now Jamey is talking about drug use and the costs that come along with it. As I mentioned, not super relevant, but I do think some of us are addicted to interruptions. With respect to this blog post, let’s try these adjusted lyrics.
The high cost of interruption ain’t nothing like the cost of living interrupted. – Jason Barrett
Expensive Bills
The most expensive bill any of us pay may not be the one that seems the most obvious. In my life, the highest personal bill I pay is my mortgage, followed by my first marriage, followed by some other things. At work, my biggest bills are payroll, vendor payments, and our lease. Each of these personal and business expenses are high, but I want to argue that none is more expensive than interruption.
On June 4th, I wrote about the ability to maintain prolonged focus. In that post, I mentioned how difficult it is to maintain focus. For me in particular, I can get distracted. It is my theory that I am not alone in this. If that’s the case, then what does it cost us to lose focus? Let’s bring that a bit closer to the topic at hand. If we know, or can agree that there is a cost for lost focus, then what does it specifically cost us to be interrupted?
Interruptions We All Experience at Work
- Texts
- Phone calls
- Phone alerts
- Snapchat
Interruptions We Experience in our Personal Lives
- Texts
- Phone calls
- Phone alerts
- Snapchat
Unfortunately, the same seven above don’t go away just because we leave work, so here are some more.
- Significant others
- Children
- Advertising
- Neighbors
- Friends
- Parents
- Siblings
- Pets
- Netflix
- Hulu
- HBO
Possible Costs of Interruption
- The opportunity cost of doing something else
- Lost productivity
- Forgetting something
- Remembering something
- Having to restart
- Having to reset
- Having to find the grove again
Let me ask you this.
Have you ever seen someone run the 100m hurdles faster than they run the 100m dash?
Why in the world do we set ourselves up for hurdles during the day? Obviously hurdles will come, but we need to do our best to stay out of the lane with all of the hurdles.
How do we fix this problem?
I have a few ideas for resolving the problem of interruptions, but let me warn you, they all focus on you.
Do you have an office with a door?
It is OK to shut it. An open door policy is one thing. Respect for people’s time, productivity, and schedule is another. Shut your door and get your work done. You will be glad you did. If you stay focused and knock out your to-do list, then theoretically you won’t have to leave the door shut all that often for for all that long.
Do you have a calendar?
It is OK to block off significant chunks of time for productivity. I do it. My very first professional mentors did it. In fact, they were the ones that showed me the glorious concept and gave me permission to use it. It was fantastic then and it is fantastic now. Don’t be scared.
Have you ever heard of a power hour?
The concept of a power hour was first brought to my attention by a guy named Jeb Blount in his book called Fanatical Prospecting. We use it at our digital marketing agency every day. Now granted, it is only an hour long, but it is one hour of uninterrupted productivity that each of our employees can count on every day. The gist of the exercise, as we use it, is to set aside one hour each day for pounding out the highest priority item on your list of things to do. Do you see how this can work? Could it work in your personal life too?
Life Hacking
Life hacking is no joke. People take it very seriously and they should. I’m going to wax poetic here for a second, but we all get to go around this place once. That’s it. It’s something we all have in common. If that’s what is going to happen, then we need to be very serious about how and where we spend our time. Interruptions can be a godsend, but they can also suck. More often than not, it is the second scenario which holds true.
Finish This!
It’s your time. It’s up to you how you spend it. Remember, you have to be the one who is OK with what comes as a result of what you choose to do. Interrupt yourself at your own risk.
