One of the challenges facing you in today's workplace is the constant stream of distractions that happen on an on-going basis every single day. At the end of the work day, you often wonder why you have not completed that task or written that document which needs to be ready by first thing the next day.

You get frustrated and you blame the entire system for not making it work for you. Know this: Everything starts with yourself and how you manage the many diversions that stand in your way of completing your work and achieving higher productivity in the workplace.

Here are some of the ways that you can use to combat the time wasters in your work life:

What do you when you have sales people who "happen to be in the neighborhood" and would like to see you for a while?

"For a while" is usually about 15 to 30 minutes. Often times, uninvited appointments are not a life-and-death situation, something that you can swiftly respond with, "I have just five minutes to see you, if you don't mind". That five minutes is an investment towards relationship building with your suppliers but it should not take more time than necessary. You are not obliged to see that person but it would be impolite to turn them down as it would create unhealthy image of yourself and the company.

What do you do to indicate to your co-worker that you are not to be disturbed?

Other than put a "funny" poster that conveys the message "Get Lost", you could be polite about it and say you have life-threatening deadline to meet. Or you could loudly declare that you are very stressed right now and about to explode with the work that is due any minutes. Be firm. Do not allow others to rob you of your time.

What can you do to manage the incessant phone calls?

Phone calls are one of the major time wasters in the workplace. Any real work issues are normally expressed in emails. So telephone calls often times are just a PR function or chitchat over small things. Very rarely are they as urgent as they seem. You can suggest to the management to install caller-ID where you can view the telephone numbers of incoming calls. Make a case that this is a sure-fire way for increased productivity, and for crisis management. Where you do not anticipate problems or urgency, most phone calls can wait while you finish up your work. Use voice mail if you have it.

What is the best way to say "No" to lunch invitations without offending the other party?

You could pack your own lunch, so that nobody can persuade you to go out and lunch with them. On busy days, cancel your social lunch appointments if you have already made a prior arrangement and make a sincere apology. Do not let your social commitments eat into your working hours. This creates unnecessary stress, and you end up going home late or worse still - bringing the work home.

How can you steal time to finish work and still get to go home early?

You come in an hour earlier. This is when no one is in the office yet, when the phone is not ringing, when your mind is still fresh and alert. You will not get distracted, you get to use the hours productively and you get more done given your high energy and mental level in the morning. Leverage on it.

As you think about how to manage the time wasters, consider the pitfalls for every action that you take. It is important that you find an approach that is not detrimental to your relationship with people or affecting the image of the company or division that you work for.