Guest Post By Rich Schefren - Are You the Interruptible Type

Rich Schefren launched his Attention Age Doctrine II today, and as part of the announcement he asked if he could write a guest post on SEO Book. Here it is. Make sure to download the Attention Age Doctrine II if you enjoy this post!

Are You the ‘Interruptible’ Type?

There’s an old time management adage that I particularly enjoy.

“Take control of your minutes and the hours will look after themselves.”

This sound advice can be quite an education for online entrepreneurs. For many ambitious business owners, those minutes of productivity can be slippery because of interruptions and distractions. Once lost, these minutes are tough to find again.

According to recent statistics, the typical office worker is interrupted every three minutes by a phone call, e-mail, instant message or other distraction. That’s 20 times per hour: 160 times every business day.

Add to those stats the seemingly endless ability for creative thinkers to be distracted while working, and you’ll soon discover a big problem – Productivity plummets and anxiety increases. Not a good combination.

So, is it any wonder why people feel the stress of “not getting anything done?”

As they say in the TV infomercials, “there has to be a better way.”

If we take control of the time we spend working – and the time we spend away from work – we will be less distracted during times when peak production is essential to our success.

This means limiting interruptions – all types of interruptions. These include visits from friends and family, unsolicited conversations with co-workers, random e-mails, instant messages, phone calls… the list goes on.

In a 24/7 total access world of communication, it appears that some people are more “interruptible” than others simply because they allow themselves to be.

Are you the “interruptible” type? Do you invite distraction by letting your mind wander?

It requires a powerful and determined mind to beat back the habit of succumbing to distraction. Without building up the ability to focus your attention on your business, you’ll never be fully satisfied with your results.

Maybe you are in a rut and you find yourself easily distracted. Perhaps you have experienced and are tentative because of past business failure. Maybe you are indecisive about what you need to succeed, and you just can’t pull the trigger on “the next big thing” for your business.

Setbacks, interruptions and distractions are all around us, but we don’t have to let them disable us from achieving our goals.

You have to get beyond distraction and back on track toward success. The only person who can remedy this situation is you.

So, what are you going to do about it?

My coaching clients often wonder why they feel so inefficient, even in the face of many accomplished tasks. They earn a lot of money, appear to be quite successful, yet there is something that is nagging them about their own productivity.

Why are so many energetic entrepreneurs so insecure about their own inability to focus when faced with distractions? I think it’s because we are human.

Despite the superhero image we may promote and project on ourselves, for even the most experienced entrepreneur, this is often a façade. It’s all just bluster and bravado.

But what makes you so “interruptible?” Why are you so easily taken off course?

The answer is certainly a personal one, but there could be a clue to your problem.

Are you really doing what makes you happy? Have you discovered your passion in life?

If not, perhaps you are searching for ways to discover passion elsewhere. Maybe your distractions are just diversions from the important tasks in front of you. Despite your financial success, it is possible that you are not happy with the path you are presently following.

This was the central point in The Final Chapter, part of my Internet Business Manifesto trilogy of reports. You must determine your strengths and passions and build your business upon them.

Anything else, especially during times of struggle, may seem like a tiresome diversion. Your attention is better suited when focused on what you love most.