Only 20% of interruptions (on the phone, in person, or by email) are true emergencies. The rest can be delayed (within reason and with respect) to a time that works for you. Here are some ways to minimize interruptions and their effect on your work.
- Defer your response
When people come to you with “urgent” demands, in most cases you can postpone your response for at least a few minutes. This breathing space will enable you to attack the problem in action mode rather than reaction mode. You’ll be able to put the task through the sort, purge, and assign processes, which will save you much-needed time and energy. - Establish visiting hours
Put up a sign on your office door if you have to, or tell your employees that you can’t talk to anyone between two and three o’clock. Some companies even set up a “quiet hour” once a day, in which all the phones are put on voice mail and people can have an uninterrupted hour for concentrated working. Choose your quiet hour wisely. For example, the time when everyone is at lunch may be the best time to do your most highly concentrated work. - Schedule time to read and respond to email
When you think about it, email is a whole box full of interruptions, requests, and demands from other people. Fight the impulse to check every five minutes, and instead concentrate on your own agenda. When you do check email–and you should several times a day–process it fully and clear it out. - Similarly, set aside regular, specific times of day to handle your voice mail
Let someone else take your calls, or have your voice mail take a message. People tend to be more efficient when they make the call–the average incoming phone call takes eleven minutes, the average outgoing call takes only seven. That’s because you’ve had the time to gather your thoughts. - Set up your email program to delete messages that come from known spammers
You can also set up your email program to direct messages with certain words or phrases such as “money making opportunity” or “xxx” directly into the trash. - Whenever possible, respond to emails with a quick “Yes,” “Will do,” or “Thanks!”
If responding to an email requires a lot of thought, work, or research, send a quick response letting the person konw you received the email and are working on it. - Turn off your instant message function
If you are bombarded with instant messages from friends and coworkers when you go online to check email, turn off the function. Alternatively, log on with a different account so no one knows you’re there. And be respectful of others’ time too; don’t assume that if someone’s online they have time for a conversation with you. Similarly, install a pop-up blocker on your Internet browser to eliminate annoying and intrusive ads. - Schedule regular meeting times for communication
If you work closely with someone, a planned, short meeting once or twice a day can be one of the best time savers in the world–no more having to interrupt each other every ten minutes to exchange information. - Use project reports with your team
If you work on projects with other people, create a weekly or daily “ongoing projects report” so that everyone can easily check the status of the project without interrupting one another. - Keep your planner, a notebook, or tape recorder accessible at all times to keep track of ideas that come to mind
When you don’t have a single, consistent place that you record new to-dos that you think of or ideas you want to follow up on, it’s very tempting to jump up and do them right away. Create a safe, reliable place to record this information, and you can fight this temptation.
From the book, Time Management from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule–and Your Life, 2nd Edition
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