It's been quiet at the virtual office this week - nearly everybody has taken vacation for not only next week, but also this, often because they haven't taken enough vacation days earlier in the year. I have to admit that it's been great. No meetings, no interruptions, and no distractions from my team mates asking me questions. In short, all of the distractions have gone and I've been able to commit myself to some complex tasks that required a cool and level head.

This is a bit of an extreme method for eliminating distractions, and obviously not something I have control over. During my normal day, I try not to hang around too much on IM services, or Skype, and I don't answer the phone unless I recognize the number. There are plenty of other potential distractions - working from home means that people still come to the door. At least the cats have finally learnt that during the day I'm busy and shouldn't be bugged. Too much.