Ann-Maree Moodie suggests some helpful strategies for dealing with office interruptions.

Every Monday morning, Maria's supervisor stops by her desk and spends 20 minutes talking about her weekend. Maria is not interested in whether her boss's son did well at rugby on Saturday morning, or how poor the service was at the new cafe on Sunday.

What Maria wants is to get back to work and to find a way to stop being constantly interrupted - by her boss and other co-workers - at her cubicle in the open-plan office. "But she's my boss," Maria says. "How can I tell her to go away?"

Every day, managers are subjected to office noise. Listening to the inane chatter and one-sided telephone conversations of co-workers is a constant distraction. The expectation of responding immediately to emails, text messages and, in some offices, Skype, means attention is drawn away from priorities.

It can be difficult to find an uninterrupted period to concentrate on a task, to read quietly, to think through a problem or to reflect on a project.

"Most people don't realise how it affects their co-workers when they drop by to tell them about their weekend or ask them to help with a problem they are having," says the managing director of Sydney-based Organising Place, Amanda Sarden. "Most of us also don't know how to deal with these types of interruptions, so we let them happen so as to not offend our co-workers."

The statistics vary but it is said it takes about 20 minutes to regain the same level of concentration on a task after being interrupted. The longer-term impacts of living in a multitasking environment include increased stress, a spike in sick leave, lost productivity and lower team morale.

"The major impact of constant interruptions is feeling stressed and anxious, which leads to a lack of focus," says Sarden, who worked as a human resources manager before starting her business. "People also become tired, which leads to poor concentration. Once stress and anxiety become ongoing, managers tend to become sick and take more days off. This leads to more stress and feelings of failure. Obviously, there will be an impact on the manager's productivity and on their team's efficiency."

Making a record of the interruptions you have endured for a week will help you to formulate a plan to regain your time, writes K.J. McCorry, of Colorado-based company Officiency, in her book Organize Your Work Day in No Time. Record the date and time of the interruption, the person responsible, the topic or questions asked and the length of time spent (or wasted). Then analyse the data you have collected. Did certain people interrupt you more than others? Did most interruptions occur at specific times?

Were the interruption topics or questions appropriate for you to answer, given your job title? What were the most frequent types of interruptions - for socialising, for decisions or for information? What was the average length of time of each interruption? How much total time in the week did you lose?

"If people drop by, use verbal or non-verbal signals to discourage idle conversation," Sarden says. "Suggest another time for a chat. Ask them to email or phone you instead of dropping by. Set aside regular 'open door' times when you are available, as well as 'closed door' times when you are not."

If you have your own office, place your briefcase or handbag on the empty chair usually used for visitors. This will help discourage the interrupter from sitting down. By standing up and walking the person to the door, you are signalling the conversation is over.

"If visual distractions are an issue, try blocking the distraction by placing an item of furniture or plant in your line of vision," Sarden says.

"Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do about a noisy office environment. Your best option is to move to a quieter location when need you to."

Email and telephone calls are just as common causes of interruptions, yet technology can be turned off - a radical idea for some. Let your phone calls go to email, put your mobile on silent, or ask your personal assistant or colleague to take messages.

Email interruptions require personal discipline. Check emails at certain times of the day rather than all day long. Turn off the email alert so you won't be aware new emails have been received.

"Advise your colleagues to save non-urgent matters so they can approach you with several issues at once when you are available," Sarden says.

"You still need to be available for urgent matters, but make it clear to your colleagues just what you feel an emergency is so that there are no misunderstandings.

"Learn to say 'no' politely but assertively: suggest an alternative time to discuss their problem when it suits your schedule, not theirs."

Ann-Maree Moodie is the managing director of the Boardroom Consulting Group.