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

U N E X P E C T E D A N D
unscheduled interruptions are among
the biggest time wasters in business and industry. These
interruptions can be in the form of a bell going off on your
computer, a telephone ringing, an SMS message coming in
on your smartphone, or people just walking into your office
because they need to talk. 
It turns out that people are the greatest time wasters in
the world of work. As much as 50 percent of time at work is
spent in idle chitchat with coworkers. Many people come
into work in the morning and begin chitchatting with their
coworkers, and then continue for the next two or three
hours. In many environments, people don’t really start seri-
ous work until about 11:00 a.m., and then soon it is time to
break for lunch. After lunch, they come back and chitchat
American Management Association / www.amanet.org

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with their coworkers some more, not getting back into the
job until 1:30 or 2:00 p.m.
Work All the Time You Work
The rule for you is to “work all the time you work.” When you
go into your workplace, begin work immediately. Do not
chat with others, read the newspaper, or surf the Internet.
Since you planned out your day the evening before, you
begin immediately on your most important task, and keep
working, task by task, until you get your most important
jobs done.
Minimize Interruptions
When someone phones you, cut to the chase immediately.
Say something like, “Hello, Bill. It’s nice to hear your voice.
What can I do for you?”
Get right to the point. Don’t waste time. Before you call
Bill, quickly write out an agenda of the points you want to
cover in your phone call. When you get Bill on the line, you
say, “I know how busy you are. I have three points that I need
to go over with you and then I will let you get back to work.”
This approach is both polite and professional. Most busy
businesspeople are going to appreciate your getting to the
point quickly and then getting off the phone.
When someone comes into your office to chat, you can
say, “I would love to talk with you right now, but I really have
to get back to work. I have to complete this task by this
afternoon.”
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T I M E M A N A G E M E N T
American Management Association / www.amanet.org

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Whenever you say those magic words, “I have to get back
to work,” the other person will pack up and leave.