– “Do you have a second?”
– “We have to discuss this ASAP.”
– “We need it by yesterday.”
Doesn’t this sound awfully familiar? Can you estimate how many times you are distracted during an average workday? Our days are filled with urgent tasks that all scream for attention, keeping us from focusing on high-impact tasks. The worst part about it? Unfortunately, most of us have accepted this to be the norm, and we don’t even question whether something needs to be done to change this situation.
Regardless, there are so many reasons why we all should protest against this. According to Gloria Mark’s research, it takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to return to the original task after an interruption. So instead of giving up that minute or two, you sacrifice a lot more of your precious work-time.
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Knowing we’ve got a limited amount of time in your day, how can we make sure we reserve time for the truly important tasks? Acknowledging the problem is always the first step in finding a solution.
To further illustrate this situation, we put together an infographic showcasing how big of an issue the ASAP (as soon as possible) mentality actually poses. Hopefully, this helps you realize the magnitude of the matter. So, the next time someone asks you to do something ASAP, just send them this link.
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