T I m e m a n a g e m e n t

Do Not Disturb
Another strategy you can use is to close your office door for
certain periods each day during which you work single-
mindedly on your biggest tasks. Many executives will get a
D
O
N
OT
D
ISTURB
sign from a hotel and hang it on their door
handle at work. Everyone knows that while this sign is on the
door, no one is allowed to interrupt them except in the case
of a real emergency.
My controller, a talented and skilled woman, complained
to me that she was overwhelmed with nonstop interruptions
from different people. As a result, she was unable to get her
detailed accounting work done and send out her financial
statements and reports on schedule. After I recommended
that she put a D
O
N
OT
D
ISTURB
sign on her door and work
nonstop for one hour in the morning and one hour in the
afternoon without interruptions, it transformed her work
life. She told me afterward that, within a few days, she was
totally caught up. Even more, none of those interruptions
turned out to be so important that they couldn’t wait for a
later time.
C R E A T E B L O C K S O F T I M E
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American Management Association / www.amanet.org

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Gain Extra Hours
Here is yet another great technique that virtually all execu-
tives on the fast track use. It is so simple that it should be ille-
gal. Get up a little earlier and arrive at your office one hour
before everyone else. Use that hour to organize your day and
to get started before there are any possible interruptions.
Then work through lunch and gain one more hour of pro-
ductivity. Finally, stay one hour later, after everyone else has
gone home, and use that time to wrap up your day and com-
plete your most important tasks.
This is an amazing technique! By adjusting your day in
this way, you beat the traffic on your way to work and you
beat the traffic on the way home. In between, you add three
productive hours to each working day. You accomplish two,
three, or even five times as much as the average person who
works regular hours. With this strategy, you can double your
output and transform your career.
Remember, you are a potential genius. One of the areas
where you can demonstrate your creativity is in creating
blocks of time when you can get more done and start
moving ahead faster in your career.
74
T I M E M A N A G E M E N T
American Management Association / www.amanet.org

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Control Interruptions
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