3 Signs You're Addicted to Interruptions

They say the first step to solving a problem is to
recognize that you have one.
When contemplating the idea of being addicted to
interruptions, many people might say, “Me? Not
possible." They will say they have too much work and
not enough time for it, so why would they even tolerate
interruptions, let alone develop an addiction to them.
But when businesspeople in my training programs are
asked to do a self-assessment about how much time
they lose to interruptions, they routinely come up with
three to five hours a day. That’s right, roughly half of
their working day is lost to interruptions.
So they are evidently doing something they're in denial
about. Check yourself for these signs:
Related: The Secret to Becoming 10 Times More
Productive? Block Out Time.
1. Frequently scanning your usual sources
of interruptions.
When you're stymied by your work or mildly bored with
the task at hand, do you tend to seek out stimulation on
your phone, the Internet or email inbox? Perhaps
you think, "Maybe there’s some major breaking news."
Or you imagine that maybe somebody replied to your
tweet, liked your web post or wants your opinion.
AdTruth found that smartphone users check their
phones 150 times a day.
2. Letting your focus stray when you closet
yourself in.
If you have set aside some dedicated time (an hour or
two) for an important task, do you start focusing on
things like "I hope this project leads to a promotion"
or do you speculate, "I wonder if anybody is trying to
reach me"?
Or perhaps you are the type to start ruminating on "How
will I ever lose this weight? I’m hungry."
Many people are so accustomed to being interrupted
that even when they have made themselves impervious
to interruptions by  others, they might interrupt
themselves.
Related: There Are Always a Million Distractions.
Here's How to Silence the Noise and Pay Attention.
3. Welcoming someone who wanders by.
When a colleague asks, "Got a minute?" even when
you're on a tight, important deadline, do you
automatically respond, "Sure, what’s up?"
Many people do so unthinkingly and habitually even
though they know the consequences will be bad for
them. They just feel driven to make this choice.
If you’re addicted to interruptions, you need to embed
some new behaviors in your repertoire that spare you
disruptions to your work. This means developing
insights and skills.
First, recognize the damage that interruptions cause, the
time they steal from you. As I have explained in my
book, The Time Bandit Solution, the fallout is a lot more
than forfeiting the time of the interruption itself. That’s
just the tip of the time-loss iceberg, considering the fact
you can lose your entire train of thought.
To stave off those who would interrupt you ("time
bandits" I call them), learn how to deter them politely and
carefully by negotiating with them and making it in their
best interest for you to continue working without
interruption for a specified period of time.
And to ward off your own tendency to interrupt yourself,
try some techniques to improve your ability to
concentrate and avoid leakage in your flow of ideas.
As a recovering interruption addict myself, I promise you
that when you change these behaviors and find yourself
blessed with the precious gift of time that used to be
stolen by old behaviors, your work and personal life will
prosper.
Related: The Not-to-Do List -- 7 Habits That Are
Sabotaging Your Productivity and Happiness