Today I want to bring awareness to the subtleties of “Spillage” or “Switching Costs”. My definition of this is the energy that is lost every time we switch tracks or gears during the course of our days. For example, let’s say that I have four main tasks to accomplish today, within 8 hours, and my energy level starts at, let’s say 80 (out of maximum 100, with 20 being brain dead, 70-80 being highly productive, 50-60 being reasonably focused and productive, 30-40 being fatigued).

• I start on Task #1 with great intention at 9am.  I am cruising until 9:30am, until a phone call comes in (WARNING: Spillage Potential).  It is from the client, about an “urgent” project that is the focus of my planned Task #3 for the day.  Feeling the pressure and not wanted to reject a call from a client, I take the call (Spillage!).  “Can you get it to me before day’s end?  We are really anxious to see the comps.”
• I call the web designer to make sure the comps will be ready for my review, and he wants to show me what he has right now - so we go back and forth on IM for 30 minutes, reviewing comps (More Spillage!).
• OK, it’s 10:30am now, where was I?  Oh yeah, Task #1, almost done.  Before getting back to Task #1, how about a “quick” scan of my emails - shouldn’t take too long.
• 11am, why am I responding to emails that have nothing to do with my four tasks for the day?  That decision to ’scan’ emails turned into a major tangent, and now getting back to Task #1 seems a bit tougher.
• Noon.  Between saying “no” to two more incoming calls, answering a few questions from co-workers via IM, and taking a few minutes to breathe, I manage to put in half an hour more to finish Task #1.  Wow, it was only an hour of work, and I am done with it at 12pm.  How did I lose two hours?  I feel a bit scattered, and hungry.  What’s for lunch?  A cup of coffee sure sounds good right now.  Afterwards, we’ll get right on Task #2.  This time, we’ll avoid those tangents, and gain back some lost time.

Not only will I achieve the tasks more rapidly if I focus on one at a time, but I will also “lose” less energy, that inevitably happens when we have to withdraw and shift energy elsewhere, which may be necessary in certain job roles. It’s like trying to fuel the gas tanks of several different cars with a running flow of gasoline from the pump. Imagine that you keep your finger on the gas pump while pulling it out of one gas tank and jumping from to another without filling up any one tank fully. There will be a lot of spillage or wasted gas…that gas, now useless, is your energy.

The potential for spillage occurs all the time during the course of our days. After a lot of switching, it is very difficult to settle the mind and get deep into a particular task. However, wWhat is spillage for one person, may not be for another. For me, some prime examples of spillage are listed here:

• I leave too many windows open on my desktop (currently 37 windows are open between my two desktops, local and remote VPN), for tasks that I was working on yesterday and want to work on tomorrow. By jumping backwards and forward, in my mind, spillage occurs and I cannot be 100% dedicated to the task at hand.
• Too many random, unplanned discussion chains going, via email, IM, phone and in person. Message to self: ‘just close the door, turn off IM, phone and email, and focus on the task at hand.”
• Changing the order of tasks in my daily task list, because I just “don’t feel like” doing the particular task that falls next on my list. By not keeping my order, I break my focus and procrastinate the more difficult tasks, which puts greater burden on the following days.
• Saying “yes, I’ll do it now” to someone in the office, to accommodate them, at the expense of whatever I was working on at that moment. In my eagerness to be a team player, sometimes, I promise too much, which causes frequent switching.

This is the reason why a master task planning tool is so imperative for companies big and small, for staff and managers. We cannot just free wheel and deal, intuitively going about our days, and addressing things as we see fit. Well, not that anybody can’t, but that requires a level of awareness and sharpness of intellect that I do not claim quite yet. Further, even if I did, it would be of no use to others. We have to create practical systems, that people can learn and follow.
Playing the role of CEO, aka Air Traffic Controller, requires a lot of switching, as people - be it clients, employees or vendors - will always be demanding the head hancho’s attention. It requires a special strength, flexibility and resiliency to play this role well, knowing when to say “no”, and when to close the door. Managing spillage effectively is one of the keys to success in business and life.

In future blogs, we will discuss tips and strategies for avoiding spillage and effectively managing your own time, as well as those who you manage.