1. Create a daily task list – The most effective way of staying focus is creating a daily task and strictly follow it!
2. Set available time slots for interactions (interruptions) – Colleagues have the tendency to drop by for questions.  You may not be ready and this cost you time.  Set time slots for them to approach you.  In this way, you will not be disturbed while working on your most important tasks.
3. Setup filters for your email program – Keep your emails organized in an automatic manner
4. Avoid checking personal email in the morning – Start with your work emails.  Generally, you will be more productive in the morning (not everyone).  Finish your work first before checking your personal email.
5. Set your Instant Messenger status to away – Keep those friends that just want a chat session with you.
6. Fill up a water bottle – That will save the trips to the water dispensing machine.  Also, you need water to stay healthy.
7. Find the best time to do repetitive and boring tasks – Watch out for time that you are most ineffective with in planning tasks.  Use this time to do boring tasks instead.
8. Don’t make long personal calls – Keep personal calls minimum.  Work is work.
9. Clean up your desk – A messy desk will give you distraction.  You will be distracted with the books or pen lying on the table.
10. Get a good chair – Get one that you are comfortable with.  You won’t be struggling with your sitting posture throughout the office hours!
11. Use shortcuts on your computer – Create shortcuts to programs that you frequently use.
12. Close programs you’re not using – It’s like keeping away those things from your working table.  You will get distracted with the lots of opened programs
13. Avoid spending time on social network sites – It’s never productivity to spend time on the social network sites.  They are not very useful when you want to deliver results.  Avoid spending time there.
14. Change your mindset and make work fun – This is the most difficult thing for anyone.  Not everyone can find fun in work!  But if you do, you can get satisfaction and stay focus on what you are doing.

Let’s identify the types of interrupt that can happen in the office.   People can interrupt you and break your train of thought.   People dropping in or calling to strike a conversation.  Calls or emails that distract you from the task at hand.  Outside noise or commotion that keeps you from focusing.   That’s external, you’ll be surprised that there are interrupts from within too.   Times when you interrupt yourself.  Remembering something you were supposed to do.  Being distracted by piles of paper or disorganization.  Spending time on unimportant non-priority tasks.   Letting your mind wander away from the focus of your work… procrastination…

Start by keeping a track of the interrupts that occurred in the day.  Use an interruption log.  Record times when your concentration is broken.  Whatever that caused it, note the time, reason, person interrupting, and how long it lasted.  You will discover that there are patterns to your interruptions.  With this, you will recognize the cause to prevent interruptions.

Furthermore, you need to change your mindset in handling interrupts.  Remember, very few interruptions are both urgent and important.  Get out of the habit of dealing with items the minute they come in.  It’s more productive to schedule the item into your day later.  Stay focused on the task at hand until you complete it the rest of the work will still be there when you finish

Now, it is important to setup rules for dealing with interrupts. Like, who you are ready to break work for and who must wait. Face up to greet folk so you control the conversation.   Don’t be scared to ask how long the interruption will take then judge whether you have the time to handle it now or later.   Ask if you want to be the one to deal with the interruption. If someone else can help, delegate the job ask if you need to handle the problem right at that exact moment.  If not, schedule a time to take care of it later when interrupted.  Leave a memory logger of where you left off work.   It is going to be simpler to get into the groove when you come back.

Lastly, let co-workers know the times when you’re not available. Turn your desk away from the door so you do not catch folk’s eyes. Tell co-workers “no” when they ask if they can have some minutes. In return, establish “open door” hours for drop-in’s and questions. Invest the time up front to totally explain delegated projects.  Be clear and concise in your delegation.  This will avoid “clarification” questions in future.

With all these, interrupts will be put to a stop (at least to the minimum) and you find yourself getting productivity back on track.