"The sorts of things people say they feel are a sense of overload, they're overwhelmed. Very high for most people is interruptions. Email is right up there. There are horrifying statistics from research that show in today's society we suffer from knowledgeoverload."
The findings reveal people working in office environments are interrupted every three minutes on average and tend to change tasks every 11 minutes. That leads to a substantial amount of time lost from their day.
"Around 25 to 28 per cent of productivity is lost per day because of the barrage of information coming at us. A significant part of that is text messages, emails. But there are a couple of really simple things we can do," says Ms Pearce, author of About Time, 120 Tips for Those With No Time. A speaker at national conferences and seminars on the subject of time management, next month Ms Pearce will begin a series of Breakfast Club workshops but has given The Aucklander readers some tips for free (see box).
A good place to start is turning off notifications. "Don't do emails first thing in the day because, for most of us, it will dominate how your day will run."
Instead she advises getting a chunk of the most important tasks done first, then battle emails by allocating blocks of time to go through them.
Beyond the digital distractions, we are perturbed by the clutter that surrounds us.
"Any piece of paper, information or equipment lying around is a symptom of a decision not made."
Compounding the messy desk is its placement: sitting where people are constantly walking towards you creates further distraction. A tidy, well placed workspace means mental clarity and better productivity.
"It's a bit like Feng Shui. People have found an extra half-hour or hour is gained from shifting their desk."
Being successful in your job doesn't mean you have to live at work.
"I ran a seminar for a travel company in Australia recently and met their top sales person. Travel is recognised as a very reactive industry, but this girl, she worked 10 till three, four days a week.
"She had educated the people around her about how to treat her. To not phone unless it's urgent. We should all be doing that really. It's about self esteem, how we see ourselves and the importance of our role. We need to delegate and we need to learn to say, 'No'."
WIN: We have 3 tickets, valued at $95 each, for the Time Queen's breakfast seminar on January 27 from 7-9am at the Parenting Place, Greenlane. Email us by Jan 23 at: letters@theaucklander.co.nz, with Time Queen in the subject line.
We also have five copies of About Time. Winners will be notified.
6 tips from the Time Queen
1.'No' is your most powerful time management tool.
2. Number your daily to-do list and keep it short. Do them in order of urgency and don't move onto the next job until the first is done.
3. Constantly ask, 'What is my highest priority right now?'
4. Schedule in regular sanity gaps.
5. Eliminate clutter in all areas of your life.
6. Don't make email the first thing of the day.
See www.gettingagrip.com
