Transition time! Seldom managed, so important.

Transition time is that time consumed as we move from one project to another, one meeting to another, or one activity to another. Basically, it’s the time we spend disengaging from one activity and preparing to engage another.

Most people aren’t aware of the time consumed in transitions. That’s why managers often back one meeting up against the next, leaving no time to disengage from the last and go to the next. Here are three tips on managing transition time.

1. When scheduling meetings, be sure to schedule adequate transition time between them.
2. Say no to unnecessary interruptions. Considering the transition time involved with each interruption, it can take two to three times as long to recover from an interruption as it does to experience it.
3. Finally, develop an awareness of when you are in transition and not fully engaged or focused on anything.

This is Productivity Strategy #46 in our new book Attack Your Day! Before It Attacks You, available on 03.22.11.