Such an innocuous little phrase, yet when you are hard at work,
really focused and engrossed in what you are doing this
seemingly harmless request can be a nightmare distraction.
“The average American has 50 interruptions a day, of which 70%
have nothing to do with work” W. Edwards Deming
Interruptions are on of the main time stealers that get in the
way of productivity. Whether it is phone, email or person
generated, have you got a minute? can really break your
concentration, affect your mood and make you feel irritated and
frustrated.
Have you got a minute can so easily turn into 5, 15 or even 30
minutes and suddenly your day is behind schedule but, remember
you let it happen. However, the good news is that it is within
your control to do something about it. You can stop or at least
manage these situations Here are my top 5 tips for managing
interruptions
1.If you work in your own office – close the door and put a
notice on the outside saying please do not disturb until 2.30pm
(or whatever time you will be finished doing what you are doing)
2.If you work in an open plan office, put a note on your desk or
on top of your PC saying I need to concentrate, please do not
disturb , then take it down when you are finished 3.If you need
to have uninterrupted time each day, switch off your phone,
close down your email and let your colleagues, boss and team
know that for example, you do not want to be interrupted, plan
meetings, chat etc every day between 8.30 and 9am 4.In response
to the Have you got a minute? You can say a.No b.Not at the
moment but if you come back in 30 minute I will have c.I have a
maximum of 5 minutes. What specifically do you want to speak to
me about and is 5 minutes enough? If so go ahead. If not,
suggest a more convenient time d.Tell me what you specifically
want to talk to me about and then I’ll tell you whether now is a
good time to discuss it 5.Educate your colleagues, team, boss to
do all of the above and respect their wishes too. This helps
create good habits all round
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