Every size office will have interruptions. You can be a one-man team working out of your home and have just as many interruptions as a counterpart in a large manned corporation. From the telephone, walk-ins, to unexpected meetings that pop up, interruptions are a part of the office scene.
At one point, you will reach the level of no return. You will need to control the urge to accept the interruptions and put a stop to them. Rephrase that. It might not stop them, but it will limit them to allow you the time to carry on with your business.
The following tips may work alone or in a combination of several together to help you control your office. Not every tip will fit every office and some might not work at all for you. Give them a try and let us know which ones work!
Slash the e-mail. Funny thing is the largest interruption is actually your own e-mail. Some people are e-mail junkies and will check it every five to ten minutes. Slow down! Many e-mails have pop-ups that will show you a snippet of the e-mail. If it’s not important right now, leave it. Optimally, set up three times per day to check your inbox.
Set up office times. If you work out of your home, set up specific office hours for meetings and phone calls. Having this allotted time makes sure your remaining work hours are spent being productive on projects. Don’t allow calls and pop-ins to happen. Once it is accepted, people will begin to take advantage.
Close the door. If you work in an office with many others, walk-ins can be disastrous to your projects, especially if you have Miss Gossip that loves to visit, and visit often. Create a sign stating you are working on a project and hang it up - on your door, cubicle, or wall. Give yourself a a specific time window, like two hours, before you will begin seeing people again. Use your voice mail and e-mail to your advantage!
Set meet-up times. Of course you will have a handful of people that are “must” meets. An assistant, or fellow team leader, or your own team leader if you work in a home office. Set specific times to meet with these people daily or weekly. This will allow everyone to be prepared to meet and breeze through instead of dropping in and forgetting what you had to ask or say.
Do you have a tip or suggestion when it comes to avoiding office interruptions? Share it with the readers of The Office Gal. Leave a comment or contact me and I will add it to our list!
This is an original The Office Gal post.
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Tags: meeting times, office interruptions, Productivity, Time Management