In a Related Note

Keeping track of everything I did yesterday was really interesting. Of course, today was totally different. I've been ignoring the phone and email all morning, because I got to working on a little programming task and it took me over. Two and a half hours of uninterrupted puzzling later, success.

But here's the kicker: it wasn't actually uninterrupted. I popped in on a colleague in IM to make sure that what I was trying was even possible. She was able to chat with me in real time, and then we took it to a phone call when typing became tedious (for her -- I can't get enough typing in IM windows).

I maintain that if interruption derails you in the Real Office, it will do the same in the home office. If you can discipline yourself to focus on the task at hand, you're ahead of the game. It can be easier to filter out certain distractions in the home office: you don't get as many casual walk-by interruptions, for example, or if you're a sometimes telecommuter, it may be that people tend not to call you at home as much. But they always manage to find you, and it's up to you to get back to work.

So get back to work.