First, jane stops by. Then, it’s the phone. Later, your boss tells you to drop everything – she’s got a rush job. And you have that meeting at there!All these things are important. If only you could rearrange them without breaking your concentration. And you can! We’ve heard about quality time at home – why not quality time on the job?Begin by finding out those parts of the day during which you’re most creative. You may work best in the morning or in the afternoon. No matter when – just find your time and build a wall around it.Say that for you, quality time begins at ten. Focus on your major task then, and don’t let anything interrupt you. If you have a secretary, tell her or him to hold all calls and visitors; if you don’t, try to ask a colleague to help you. The point is that both outsiders and colleagues will know that you will not be available for a part of each day. Why? Because you are working!Prepare for this special block of time as carefully as you would for an important meeting. Don’t waste precious minutes searching for memos or notes. Be ready to begin precisely at ten, and get the most out of every second. You might like to use your block simply for thinking about a project, problem or a new idea.Start small – maybe thirty or forty minutes, three times a week, building up to at least an hour, Sure, you’ll have to chip away at your block a little sometimes, but guard that hour as you would do to any other valued possession.

Quality TimeYou’ve just been given a major task and want to do it well, but it seems that the minute you get started, you’re interrupted. First, jane stops by. Then, it’s the phone. Later, your boss tells you to drop everything – she’s got a rush job. And you have that meeting at there!All these things are important. If only you could rearrange them without breaking your concentration. And you can! We’ve heard about quality time at home – why not quality time on the job?Begin by finding out those parts of the day during which you’re most creative. You may work best in the morning or in the afternoon. No matter when – just find your time and build a wall around it.Say that for you, quality time begins at ten. Focus on your major task then, and don’t let anything interrupt you. If you have a secretary, tell her or him to hold all calls and visitors; if you don’t, try to ask a colleague to help you. The point is that both outsiders and colleagues will know that you will not be available for a part of each day. Why? Because you are working!Prepare for this special block of time as carefully as you would for an important meeting. Don’t waste precious minutes searching for memos or notes. Be ready to begin precisely at ten, and get the most out of every second. You might like to use your block simply for thinking about a project, problem or a new idea.Start small – maybe thirty or forty minutes, three times a week, building up to at least an hour, Sure, you’ll have to chip away at your block a little sometimes, but guard that hour as you would do to any other valued possession.

• A. When you are given a major task.
• B. When a friend stops by.
• C. When your boss gives you a rush job to do.
• D. When you have a meeting.