Many times, we want to be productive and work on our tasks for today, but there are too many interruptions that don’t allow us to work what we need to work. So, you will need to properly manage interruptions when you work.
Some interruptions can’t be avoided. For example, the calls from your boss talk with colleagues in the same office…
However, there are probably many interruptions that we don’t need. So, we will need to eliminate them. At least we will need to start to manage interruptions.
Let’s look at some possible actions that you can take to better manage interruptions to become more productive.
1. List All Possible Interruptions
Take a piece of paper and think about the previous week or month and all the interruptions you have experienced at that time. Don’t think about the meaning of interruptions, only list them how they come to your mind.
2. Categorize Interruptions
Now, when you already have a list with all possible interruptions that you are experiencing you can start to categorize them. This is the first step in managing your interruptions. It is better to know what they mean, instead of taking actions without the right analysis of each interruption.
You can’t eliminate all interruptions when you work. You can’t escape from your boss’s calls. You can’t escape from your wife’s call. But, you can systematize them and start making something to change the current situation.
For example, you can have interruptions categorized by the persons from your working environment. You can categorize them as:
- Persons that are allowed to interrupt you. For example, these persons are your boss, your customers, your business partners…
- Persons that are allowed to interrupt you only when you work on second and third priority tasks. In this category can be persons from your family and friend with which you chat on a phone, or send funny emails…
- Persons that are not allowed to interrupt you at all. These are the persons that you don’t want to interrupt you at all, because you lose your time with them for unimportant things.
Don’t forget about the time management matrix and quadrant 3 where you can have interruptions that are unimportant for you, but for someone else. They are not your top priority. This matrix will help you to better manage interruptions while you work.
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Sometimes interruptions can come because of other things around you instead of people. For example, you can be interrupted because of alarms of different social media, or sounds for just received the new email or SMS message. Try to categorize this type of interruptions as a part of your efforts to manage interruptions. You can use categories like technology, or social interruptions.
3. Make Rules That Will Help You Manage Interruptions While You Work
Because now you know what interrupt you when you work, you know what’s allowed and what is not allowed to interrupt you in your working environment, you can start thinking about the rules.
Rules are something that will tell you what you need to do for optimal management of interruptions. I want to stress again that you can never eliminate all possible interruptions, but you can manage them.
For example, if you have an assistant, you can give some of your rules with a list of persons that can find you always, and list of persons you don’t want to interrupt you.
You can make rules for the exact time when you read your emails and what process you will use. You can make rules when you look at your social media to answer the different conversations.
4. Close the Door When You Work on Important Stuff
Even this seems as something unpopular, however, sometimes it will save you from many interruptions, especially when you work on something important for you.
5. Look at Your Workspace to Manage Interruptions
The interruptions will be allowed depending on your working place. You need a working place that will enable optimal working conditions. That means also saving you from possible interruptions. Organize your working place in such a way that will make for interrupter harder to appear in front of you. You can use 5S to make your workplace more productive.
