Strategy: The Key To Office Productivity- Get Out Of The Office… I get More Work Done on a 2 Hour Flight than I Do All Day at the Office, Because I’m Not being Interrupted

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Productivity is a big topic these days. In an era of always-on technology and constant interruptions, getting more done in less time is the holy grail. Evidently, the answer is simple: Get out of the office.

Don't panic! There are ways to cut down on interruptions when you're on deadline. (Photo credit: star5112)

Don’t panic! There are ways to cut down on interruptions when you’re on deadline. (Photo credit: star5112)

Of employees who work remotely at least a few times per month, more than three-quarters of them report greater productivity while working off site, according to a recent survey from ConnectSolutions. Some 30% complete more work in less time, and 24% get more done in the same time, the survey found.

What makes the difference, you ask? No one is popping into your home office to ask if you watched the Oscars last night or if you can help them with that spreadsheet. “Clients have said to me that they get more work done on a two-hour flight than they do all day at the office, because they’re not being interrupted,” says Mitzi Weinman, founder of productivity company TimeFinder and author of It’s About Time.

That’s great for those workers whose employers let them telecommute for work, of course. But what if you’re chained to your desk? What if you can’t do your job from someplace else, or your boss simply isn’t inclined to let you? There are ways to mimic the experience of working remotely—you just have to cut down on the interruptions in the workplace.

Here are some pointers:

Look at the big picture. Spend a little time thinking about why you’re getting interrupted at work. If it’s because you sit by the printer and people are constantly strolling by your desk, that’s one thing. But if you’re a manager and you’re fielding questions from the same people all day long, you might be at fault. “Are you giving your team enough information to be able to do what they need to do and enough authority to be able to move forward without having to come back to you?” Weinman says. If not, now is the time to figure out what needs to change.

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Set no-interrupt times. If there’s a time of day when you really work efficiently and can get a lot accomplished, try to preserve it as your own. Post a sign on your cube or your door indicating that you’re working between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and unless it’s an emergency, to please leave a note or come back later. If you’re consistent, your team will learn not to bug you during those hours.

Move. If you work in an open-space office or a cube farm, you might be better served by going elsewhere when you’re on a deadline—even if it’s just a quiet conference room or an unused office. “I had a client who used to hide under his desk and turn the lights out,” Weinman says.

Wear headphones or a headset. People are less likely to stop and chat if you look like you’re concentrating or that you’re already on the phone. You can also try setting up visual barriers, such as plants or a lamp, that make it harder for people to glance over and make eye contact.

Change your office culture. Suggest a no-meeting day once a week, or every other week. Or try this: “I was doing a workshop with a company and we put into place that once or twice a week, for the first two hours of the day, nobody could interrupt anybody in a particular department,” Weinman says. “Because they were yelling over cubes. That made them so much more productive for those two hours.”

Take advantage of quiet times. Think about the times that your office is deserted. Does everyone arrive at 9 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m.? Consider coming in at 8 a.m. a couple of times a week, or working until 6 p.m. now and then. You can get a lot done in an hour of focused time.

Silence all the beeps. Coworkers aren’t the only ones who interrupt. You’re probably also dealing with a steady stream of emails, texts and other notifications from your computer and smartphone. When you’re under the gun, close your email program and put your phone on silent to avoid getting thrown off track. “There’s a statistic that every time you’re interrupted, whether it’s something dinging or somebody standing in the door, that it takes 20 minutes to get back to where you were,” Weinman says. “It’s so frustrating.”

– Follow Kate Ashford on Twitter.

Forbes.com | February 24, 2015  |  Kate Ashford