(Originally featured in The Weekly Simplifier #9)

You’ve decided to simplify by practicing more mono-tasking in your work flow. The following tips are tips to help keep the “multi” from creeping in on the “mono” when working on projects.

• No phone. Cell phones quiet, office phone to voice mail, alert anyone else who answers the phone for you that you are not available.
• No e-mail. Just because you hear the “ beep” alerting you of a new message doesn’t mean you have to switch gears to deal with it. I mean it!
• Close your door (if in a room that has a door to close). Feel the difference. I’ve found it interesting to observe that my attention, however slightly, meanders out through an open door.
• Keep you ToDo list handy. If, while mono-tasking one thing, you have other “I forgot about this, that, or the other” thoughts pop into your head, jot them down on your list for later.
• Know your goal, i.e., know when you are going to stop. Is it a time limit? Is it when the first draft is complete? Is it to clear out the inbox? Know when to say when.

Observe which tips work for you and stick with them.