17 Productivity Habits That Help You Get More Done Every Day
A coworker stops by with a quick question. You answer it and go back to work. You’ve lost five minutes, right? Maybe, and maybe not in the way you’d expect.
Researchers Gloria Mark, Daniela Gudith, and Ulrich Klocke tested this in a 2008 paper presented at the CHI conference. They had people do tasks with or without interruptions. The result was a surprise. People who were interrupted completed their tasks in less time, with no difference in quality. The catch was the cost. To make up for the lost time, they worked faster, and they reported more stress, more frustration, more time pressure, and more effort. The type of interruption didn’t change this. The researchers also found that personality traits, like openness to experience and a need for personal structure, were linked to how much interruptions cost people.
Some cautions. This was a fairly short lab study, and it doesn’t say that interruptions are good for you. Real workdays have far more going on. I’m drawing a simple lesson and that’s my own extension: the price of interruptions may show up as stress first, and you can protect against that.
So the 17 habits below are aimed at getting more done while keeping work calm. They’re my own, and I’ll mark where I’m going beyond the study.
Start With One Small Daily Habit
Grab my free 9 Daily Habits guide. It has nine morning practices you can pick from, and any one of them makes a good small first step.
Get the Free Guide1. Notice what interrupts you most often
Before you change anything, find out where your interruptions come from. For three days, jot down each time your work gets broken up, and what caused it.
When I first tried this, I counted far more than I’d guessed. Most were self-inflicted. That’s my experience, and it’s a useful starting point.
Try this: Keep a tally on a sticky note of each interruption for one workday.
2. Pay attention to how interruptions feel, not just how long they take
The study’s key result is that the cost showed up as stress and frustration, not only lost time. So track both. After an interrupted stretch, ask how you feel.
If you feel tense or rushed after a busy hour, that’s a signal. That’s my application of the study, and it’s worth noticing.
Try this: After an interrupted hour, rate your stress from 1 to 5, and compare it to an uninterrupted hour.
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Visit Premier Print Works3. Block out time that’s off-limits
Put a block on your calendar for your most important work, and treat it like a meeting. Let others know you’re unavailable.
Even a single ninety-minute block a day can change how a week feels. That’s my suggestion, and it’s the habit I’d start with.
Try this: Schedule one protected block tomorrow, and label it “focus.”
Getting interrupted may not slow you down. It may just make the work cost more.
4. Silence notifications during protected blocks
Notifications are interruptions you didn’t choose. Turn them off or set your phone to do-not-disturb during your focus time.
The study looked at interruptions by phone and instant message. That’s why this habit matters, and it’s the easiest to put in place.
Try this: Turn on do-not-disturb for your next focus block.
Take a Week to See What Interrupts You
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Start the Free Reset5. Close the tabs and apps you don’t need
Open windows invite self-interruption. Before you start, close everything except what the task requires.
A clean screen makes it easier to stay with one thing. That’s my habit.
Try this: Before your next block, close every tab and app you don’t need.
6. Keep a “parking lot” for stray thoughts
When you remember something unrelated, write it down and go back to work. The note frees your mind without derailing you.
It’s a small trick that cuts self-interruptions. That’s my own method, and I keep a pad next to my keyboard.
Try this: Keep a sticky note at your desk for stray thoughts, and check it after your block.
7. Tell people when you’ll be available
Interruptions often come from people who don’t know you’re busy. Let them know when you’ll be free.
“I’m heads-down until 11, and I’ll answer questions then.” That’s my own phrase, and most people understand.
Try this: Send a short message to the people who interrupt you most, with the times you’re available.
8. Batch quick questions into a set time
Instead of answering each one as it comes, collect them and handle them together. A regular check-in works for many teams.
It turns scattered interruptions into one planned one. That’s my suggestion.
Try this: Pick a daily time to answer quick questions, and tell others about it.
9. Choose your most important task for the day, and do it first
A clear priority is easier to protect. Decide what matters most before the day starts.
Doing it early means it’s done before interruptions pile up. That’s my habit, and it’s not from the study.
Try this: Write tomorrow’s top task tonight, and start it first thing.
10. Plan for interruptions with buffer time
Some interruptions are unavoidable. Leave gaps in your schedule so a surprise doesn’t wreck the whole day.
Buffers take the pressure off. The study found that interruptions led to time pressure, and a buffer helps with that. That’s my application.
Try this: Leave a thirty-minute gap in tomorrow’s schedule for things that come up.
11. Write down where you stopped before you switch
If you must stop mid-task, leave yourself a note: “Next, finish the third paragraph.” It makes coming back easier.
It’s a cheap habit with a big payoff. That’s my own trick, and I use it every day.
Try this: Before you switch tasks, write one sentence about what comes next.
12. Don’t reward the urge to self-interrupt
Sometimes the interruption comes from you, like the pull to check messages. Pause for ten seconds before you give in.
Often, the urge passes. That’s my observation, and it’s taken practice.
Try this: When you feel the urge to check something, wait ten seconds and return to your task.
13. Work in shorter sprints if long blocks feel hard
If ninety minutes is too much, try thirty. A protected short block is better than a long one that falls apart.
Increase the time as it gets easier. That’s my suggestion, and it’s helped me begin.
Try this: Try a twenty-five-minute protected sprint tomorrow.
14. Notice your own style, since people differ
The researchers found that personality measures, such as openness to experience and need for personal structure, predicted how much interruptions cost people. Some of us are more thrown by them than others.
Pay attention to your own reactions, and adapt. I find I need more structure than I’d like to admit. That’s my own observation.
Try this: Write down whether you’re more thrown by interruptions or by switching back, and plan around it.
15. Take a real break after a heavy stretch
After a busy, interrupted period, let yourself recover. Step away, stretch, or take a short walk.
Stress lingers, and a short recovery helps. That’s my advice, and it’s not from the study.
Try this: After your next packed hour, take a five-minute break with no screens.
16. End the day with a short wrap-up
Write what you finished, what’s unfinished, and tomorrow’s top task. It closes the loop.
It keeps work from following you home. That’s my daily habit.
Try this: Set a five-minute wrap-up before you stop working today.
17. Review your week and adjust
Once a week, look at what went well and what got interrupted. Change one thing for the next week.
If stress from work feels constant, it can help to talk with a doctor or licensed professional. That’s my caution. Small changes add up.
Try this: On Friday, write one change that would protect your time next week.
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See Our Top PicksTwo People Who Protected Their Focus
I know a woman named Amara who answered every message the second it arrived. She felt productive and exhausted. She started protecting one morning block and told her team when she’d respond. She told me the work didn’t shrink, and the tension in her shoulders did.
I also think about a guy named Joel who lost his place every time he was pulled away. He began writing a one-line note about what came next before he switched. He told me it took ten seconds, and coming back stopped feeling like starting over.
Picture a Workday With Fewer Jolts
Imagine getting through the day with a protected block, a short parking-lot list, and buffers where you need them. Interruptions still happen. They don’t leave you frayed. You finish the day with energy left over.
Start by protecting one block tomorrow. If you’d like a simple habit to build on, get my free 9 Daily Habits guide.
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This page is for informational and inspirational purposes only. It is not medical, psychological, or career advice. The research referenced here comes from the published work of Gloria Mark, Daniela Gudith, and Ulrich Klocke, “The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress” (Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2008), summarized here in plain language. It was a laboratory study that found interrupted tasks were completed in less time with no difference in quality, at the price of more stress, frustration, time pressure, and effort, and it does not suggest that interruptions are beneficial. The habits on this page are my own and are based on my experience. If work stress feels constant, please talk with a doctor or licensed professional. Results vary from person to person.
Amara and Joel are made-up characters used to bring this content to life. They are not real people.
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