Are your workdays plagued by interruptions in the form of phone calls, employees coming to your office door — or if you work from home are you interrupted by daily housekeeping routines? Do interruptions draw you out of your productive moments and stall forward progress?
Is it hard to go even a half an hour without a phone call, text message, email or in-person interruption? If you’re like me, you know you need to carve out time to work uninterrupted in order to be productive. We have all heard of people who speak with pride about their ability to multi-task, but there are times when a project simply needs uninterrupted time and devoted effort. So, how can you take charge and make it a reality?
Here are some tips to regain control:
- Specify certain times when you will respond to text messages, emails and phone calls. Be truly proactive and set an outgoing message on your emails to let people know you will read and respond between the hours of XYZ. They will appreciate knowing when they’ll hear from you.
- If you’re going to respond to communications several times a day, specify the length of time you will allot — for example, 30 to 45 minutes every two hours.
- Resist the urge to check email and text messages by signing out of your email program and putting your phone on silent and leaving it off your desk — out of sight, out of mind.
Not all interruptions are bad, though — if you have a prospective client call, for example. Truly though, many of the daily interruptions can wait until a time when you will be better able to focus and give them your undivided attention. Taking control of your workday will make you more productive and will help you complete projects in a more timely manner.