Do you experience these problems? Are the people in your office constantly interrupting each other’s work flows?

It doesn’t have to be just at work. I’ve experienced this kind of thing at home too. To deal with it, my wife Katie and I have a rule: if we can see the other person is working very deeply, we’ll send them an email if we want to share something trivial. That way, we still get to share, and the other person gets a pleasant, voluntary distraction when they’re ready for a break.

Do you have any tricks like this? Do you ever make deals with your coworkers, or with people you live with, to ensure at least some stretches of uninterrupted productivity?

Share your thoughts in the comments.