{knock knock} - Got a second?

{knock knock} - I need your help

{knock knock} - We have a problem

{knock knock} - Do you guys have....?

{knock knock} - THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING! :)

Sometimes I honestly wonder how we ever get anything done.  I'm not just talking about my team, I'm talking the collective we.  It's amazing to me that with all of the randomization and the aggressive commitments that we have, we continue to be successful.  Now in our case, we're part of an Operations team and if you're in Ops you kind of signed up for Randomization 101 (Fire drills are all part and parcel).  But I often wonder how much productivity is lost as a result of the "quick question" (because it's rarely quick, is it?)  Even if it is truly quick, that break in concentration can set you back several minutes while you attempt to regain your train of thought.  The funny part is as much as we all hate it, we are all guilty of doing it ourselves (c'mon, be honest).  Now there are many techniques that people will tell you to minimize the rate of interruption, but usually they are only marginally successful.  Closing the door, "Email Only" signs (on a closed door), working from home (my personal favorite...but my meeting schedule usually makes this prohibitive), blocking out your schedule (this never works), etc are all techniques that you see used to cull the churn.  Generally these are only marginally successful, though.  Invariably, you see the "hallway dance" outside of your closed blinds.  You all know what I'm talking about.  The brief glimpse of the person dodging and weaving outside of your window trying to peek through the blinds to see if you are truly busy.  And heaven forbid you acknowledge their presence because the door immediately opens and "got a second?" is heard.  Now I'm not saying that all of these are bad.  Sometimes there are truly urgent/important issues that require your attention.  But on the whole these interruptions are things that could have been handled in email or simply waited until later. So my curious nature has gotten the better of me once again.  What are the techniques you find most successful in warding off the drive by?  Me, I'm actually considering just scheduling "interruption time" on my calendar...but then someone would probably just schedule over the top of it. 

That's all for now....sorry for the interruption!

Scott