Interrupt interruptions? 3 Timely Tips Restore Your Focus And Productivity!
Using solid time management strategies helps you prioritize, organize, and plan ahead. But once you have a plan, you also need strong skills to handle those inevitable interruptions that challenge your focus and your productivity.
Sharpening these skills will keep you on track. Neglecting them means that you will lose your focus and your effectiveness and productivity will suffer.
Is this a familiar scenario? He has a deadline and every tick of the clock brings it closer, as he works hard to meet it. You’re coming up with creative ideas and checking off items on your to-do list. Suddenly someone walks into your office.
How do you feel when this distraction suddenly asks for your attention?
The point is, you have to decide how to respond on the fly. This requires skills that are totally different from the skills you need to plan and prioritize ahead of time. And your answer is very important, in 2 ways:
· Tea that from your answer determines what happens, concretely and immediately, in the time that follows. Do you pause and spend time with the person? Do you stay the course and ask him to come back later?
AND excuse me your response can leave you feeling empowered or drained. Do you invite the person in but feel like a victim of your choice? Does your answer leave you feeling more or less in charge of yourself and your time? This significantly affects your energy as you go.
So BEFORE your outages is the best time to plan for them. These 3 timely tips help you stay effective in a world where focused time is at a premium and interruptions are the norm.
How to handle interruptions
You can accomplish more and enjoy a morale boost when you expect and have planned for interruptions ahead of time. (And the distractions don’t have to be people, they can be ideas, interesting websites, whatever!)
The secret is to create proactive patterns. Redirect distractions to scheduled appointments. By doing that, you give them their due while protecting their focus and priorities.
3 tips to stay focused, effective and flexible
1. Discover the ways in which you really invite interruptions from other people.
Document (with friendly energy) the ways you reward people for interrupting you. For example, do you keep the door open? Look up and smile? There can be many ways to subtly invite unscheduled visits.
Remember: this is not an exercise in self-criticism; Be sure to acknowledge and validate each knowledge! This is a very practical and powerful way to start making more conscious decisions and get your time back. All of this is completely within your control range!
2. Redirect interruptions to the time you have reserved.
What time of day are you most productive? Whenever possible, reserve that time for activities that you have prioritized in advance.
Then choose a different part of the day to respond to requests and other things that come up during the day. (Remember, this can be from outside interruptions or from good ideas and interesting news that can pull your focus.) Estimate how long you generally need to attend to these matters, and then reserve that block of time as well, in your schedule. And if you’re having a hard time sticking to boundaries right now, scheduling it as the last thing before lunch or before leaving work gives you a clear end point.
Keep your appointment schedule open and close. As interruptions arise, schedule them for the time you have reserved. Be specific and be sure to follow up, whether your article involves someone else or you alone. This builds confidence that the problem will be addressed and you will be able to return to work more quickly.
If some of your interruptions are over the phone or email, you can set up automatic responses to indicate that you will contact people at a specific time of day.
3. Proactively reduce outages by anticipating needs.
Are there external disruptions that you can anticipate? 16 the initiative. Contact the person when it is convenient for you and schedule a time to speak. Developing this habit strengthens your ability to coordinate a constructive flow of energy for yourself. What could have been an interruption is now one of your priorities!
As you explore your responses to interruptions, live to see this as a time of investigation and experimentation. Look for new options to develop and be sure to cheer yourself up by welcoming all the valuable lessons.
Taking the initiative when faced with unexpected interruptions is very rewarding! When you realize that your daily destiny is in your hands, it has an immediate and positive impact on your choices, your focus, and your productivity.
