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He advises carving out blocks of undisturbed time. "People don't realize how much they've given up control and allowed their boundaries to be much too permeable."
People assume they leave their office door open to be available to their supervisor and their team and answer client requests immediately, but that invites distraction.
So you should let people know you're not available -- and that it is for their own good, Dr. Hallowell suggests. "Talk to your supervisor and explain you will do better work if you get an hour of interrupted time rather than being constantly on call."
The same goes for clients and co-workers. "Tell them you've got to concentrate, but you will get back to them as soon as you can. People will respect that if you defend yourself."
Once you get the time, use it wisely. Dr. Hallowell suggests writing a list of regular activities and rating them according to whether they are highly creative or marginal uses of time. Also consider whether a task is actually required or something you assume someone expects. "You'll find there are many things you do because they seem to be the right thing to do, but are unnecessary and actually have poor returns."
There will always be things beyond your ability to control, Ms. Herrild of the Seattle consultancy says. "It helps to keep this in mind because you don't end up beating your head against a brick wall."
Even when things seem totally chaotic, there are factors you can influence, she says. For instance, you may have no control over having to meet a deadline to complete a report. But you can make it less of a crunch by setting limits on the amount of research time you put in, how much advice you solicit from other people and reschedule client meetings to give full attention to the task, she explains.
Chaotic times are actually often predictable; recognizing this will make you feel more in control, Ms. Herrild adds. For instance, if you know the last week of the month has many deadlines, resist requests to take on any new assignments during that time.
It's also important that each time you complete a task, you take a moment to appreciate yourself, she advises. "Nowadays, people don't often slow down long enough to get that feeling that they have done a good job."
Slowing down as much as you can is the key to achieving the most in this electronically supercharged world, Dr. Hallowell concludes.
"If you're crazy-busy, you can be the smartest person in the world but you will be so distracted, you can end up underperforming and never achieving your goals. By doing less, and doing it more effectively, you'll most likely do better work, you'll be a happier person and chances are you'll be a nicer person," he says.
"While you'll still be busy, it won't drive you crazy."
Making order out of chaos
You can't slow down the pace of work, but you can control the multitude of time-wasting distractions competing for your attention, says Dr. Edward Hallowell, author of CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked and About to Snap. Here's his tips:
Review how you work. Invest your time in activities that give the most return and cut back on things that are peripheral.
Do what you love. Focus on what you like and do best at work, and protect them against distractions.
Set goals and keep them. Write an agenda of things you want to accomplish each day and stick with it.
Find your rhythm. Perform routine activities at the time when you are most able to focus on them. For instance, read all your e-mail in the morning before you get caught up in other tasks. Try different schedules to see what works best.
Quit screen-sucking. Trolling the Web or continually checking e-mails can be addictive. Try moving the computer screen to a less convenient location or put a clock near it to show how much time you're taking.
Create the right attitude. Dwell on the positive, stay welcoming and upbeat with co-workers. That will make them more co-operative and willing to help with functions that drag on your time.
Delegate. Things you aren't good at or don't interest you may be right down someone else's alley.
Get over guilt. Remind yourself regularly that you are doing what you can to the best of your ability, and can't do it all.
Slow down. When the computer takes too long to boot up, take a deep breath and relax rather than clenching your teeth. Ask yourself, "what's my hurry?" and you'll feel in better control.
Play. Time off spent engaging in what you enjoy is not time wasted.
Wallace Immen
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