We’ve all been at the mercy of someone who talks a lot. Most of these folks are nice people, but for every sentence you say, they go on for another five minutes or so.

Often I reach a point in my workday where I need to find a way to conclude these conversations in a professional way so that I don’t lose productivity. The tactic I use most is to stop talking. Somewhere during the conversation the other person will take a deep breath or wait for me to respond in some way. However, I know if I say something it’s going to generate another several minutes on the phone. By remaining silent for a moment or two, it breaks the pattern. At this point I usually say that I’ve enjoyed talking with the person.  I thank them for their time and what they shared. Then, I explain I have a commitment to get back to.

One reason these conversations tend to go on is because many of us feel that we need to have the last word.  When chatting with such people it’s unlikely you will ever get in the last word; why bother trying?

When I place or receive a call from someone I know tends to carry on long chats, I communicate up front that I only have a specific period of time before my next commitment. Later in the conversation I will chime in “I hate to cut you off, but as I mentioned, I have a client call in three minutes” or whatever the commitment might be.

Job said, “Will your long-winded speeches never end?” (Job 16:3a, NIV) In our businesses we need to look for ways to end long-winded speeches to preserve productivity.

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Most of us have encountered conflict that takes the form of back-and-forth communication. These conflicts can drain our energy and time.  We need to manage them in a way that honors the Lord, uses the time effectively and communicates information professionally.

Most of us get frustrated when we hit a barrier of some type. One of the most important attributes of an effective leader is to develop the ability to work through frustration rather than allow circumstances to block the path. I don’t like frustration any more than another person. However, I experienced a life event that forced me to decide how I would deal with frustration.  When I was six I injured my right arm and severed an artery, muscles, tendons and nerves. My father was home and because of his military training, he was able to stop the bleeding.  He saved my life, but my arm was irreparably damaged.  Fortunately, I have some use of my right arm and hand, but there was significant permanent damage.  As a result I’ve never been able to use a typewriter or keyboard with both hands. I’ve needed to learn how to type with my left hand on a keyboard. Lately, I’ve turned to voice software to improve my writing speed.

Stress attacks all of us at times. When I am stressed after a difficult meeting, encountering a disappointment or when several things haven't gone my way on a given day; I use several techniques to destress.

Most of us would like to improve daily productivity. Today I would like to give you three tactics I use to get the most out of my time each day.

1.  Schedule hourly time incrementally.

When I schedule time I don’t just look at the hour blocks on my calendar, I break my time down into smaller increments. I look at an hour as ten six minute increments rather than one sixty minute hour. When I look at the full hour, I get sloppy by using the whole hour to accomplish something that should have taken six to twelve minutes. By assigning a task to part of the hour, it helps me use the hour more productively.