This is a test. Well, perhaps not. What it is is an opportunity to really learn how much time you lose during your work day because of unwanted interruptions. Since we don't run a compulsory education program here, we'll assume you'll do this test voluntarily for your own edification. Plan on starting tomorrow (so you'll have a full day's worth of statistics). You'll keep a simple record of how many times you're interrupted, why you were interrupted, and the approximate amount of time spent. Note the word

"simple"; we don't want to steal even more time from your day! Prepare a rough three-column form. (NOW! would be a good time): 1) "TIME INTERRUPTED"; 2) "INTERRUPTED BY" (subcategories: "Telephone;" "Staff," "Boss," "Self," "Other"); and 3) "TIME SPENT." Note the time each interruption starts, put a checkmark in the appropriate subcategory, and, when finished, list the amount of time spent on the interruption. At the end of the day, run the totals. Surprised? We'd really like to know your results! (We'll keep it confidential.)

Bary C. Sherman, Senior Managing Partner

Relatively insignificant, perhaps, but all interruptions are significant when they impinge on the limited hours we have available. And, possibly, you could be the cause of most of your interruptions! Do you convey the message that it's O.K. to interrupt you because you often interrupt others? If you allow the interruptions, you are the problem, for yourself as well as the others.

Also important to note: the entire purpose of some job positions is to deal with people all day long (human relations office, customer service, dispenser of information). These are not interruptions; they're your job. Only if your work flow is interrupted for nonrelated reasons should you be concerned.

On the other hand, not all interruptions are unwanted or unproductive! Just as with cholesterol, there are bad interruptions and good interruptions. It's important to recognize the difference, so we can avoid the one and welcome the other. The bad ones steal our time, patience, and continuity, and they clog our arterial roads to productivity. The good ones solve annoying problems and provide needed information, thus helping us to improve customer service and smooth our work flow. Iri this issue, we'll concentrate on unwanted interruptions; why they occur, and what can be done to reduce their number. You'll find suggestions for how to avoid some of them on The Flip Side.

If you perform the test tomorrow, and the total time spent is as high as we suspect it will be, we also suspect you will be amazed at the many different reasons you were interrupted during the day. We become so accustomed to having our day interrupted-and interrupting ourselves-we often don't even recognize that it's happening.

• THE TELEPHONE. Internal callers call you at the drop of an impulse (as do extemal callers). And you; of course, call them often for reasons that could wait until later (or evening) or that aren't important/urgent enough to justify interrupting your (or their) work flow.
• THE "HEAD-IN-THE-DOOR." Heads are constantly "popping" in and out of office doors for "quick" questions that lead to lengthy discussions. Regardless of whether you're working, or have someone in your office, or are on the telephone, people often seem to feel it's O.K. to "pop" in for "just a second" without an invitation. Meanwhile, you've lost your train of thought, your course of action, or the good will of your visitor.