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Interruptions Examined
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Word count for this issue: 1425 Approximate time to read: 6 minutes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Month's Hot Links ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Interruptions Examined
"I just don't have enough time to get all my work done each day. Every night and on weekends, I have to take work home." Have you said or do you know somebody who has lamented the above sentiment? Maybe the problem is not too much work but too many interruptions. Executive coach and author, Sid Kemp, says "Uninterruptible work time is a valuable asset. We get three times as much work done when we can't be interrupted as when we are available to others." Let me share one of my consulting and coaching experiences. An HR manager for a newspaper was overburdened with work. Her job was a big responsibility. She was beside herself with anxiety and trepidation about how she would get all of her work completed. She was taking work home almost every day. After watching her work habits and analyzing the nature of her work, I discovered that much of her day involved interruptions. Furthermore, I observed that she encouraged the interruptions with enthusiasm. In private, I asked her about her philosophy of being a good manager. She proudly exclaimed her ethic was "to be available to anyone, at any time". We discussed the accuracy of her belief and concluded that it wasn't in her best interest to hold that principle. The new work ethic she embraced was "Be available at a mutually beneficial time". This change in attitude was just what she needed. She honored herself with uninterrupted quality time each day by closing her door for 60 to 90 minutes. She learned how to group appointments starting at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. She still had some interruptions during the morning time. If they were urgent, she handled them then. If they could be handled just as well later, she made an appointment for sometime in the afternoon around 2 o'clock. At first, her coworkers slightly rebelled at her new work pattern. But over time they discovered they made better use of their time also. In general, she handled her routine work in the morning and was available for employees in the afternoon. She enjoyed her job more, quit taking work home, and provided better service to her employees by adopting a win-win attitude regarding interruptions.
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Interruptions are a fact of life. Improving by 10% how you handle them on an ongoing basis will net an estimated 35% more time in the day to get your job done! Some jobs by their nature have more interruptions than others. On any job you can create a balance that will help you be less stressed and more focused. Results are enjoying your work process more and increased productivity and efficiency. Listed below are several interruption efficiency principles. Choose the ones that apply to you. Give them a test drive and send me an e-mail telling about your good results. I really do like to hear from you! Interruption Efficiency Principles Analyze your interruptions. Make a note of who interrupts you, how often, for what reason, and the time of day. Look for patterns. You will discover better ways to do your job. Phone calls, text message, voicemail, e-mail and fax are wonderful methods of communication but can be interruptions. Remember you control them, they don't control you. Pick an hour or two each day and bunch several appointments in that time allotment. This technique will help you spend the right amount of time with each person instead of excessive time. Rearrange your office furniture so you are not facing the door or traffic flow. When someone walks by and you make eye contact, it is an invitation for them to come on in. Set up a quiet time so you will not be interrupted. Pick the time of day when you are most alert and productive. Communicate with those around you why you are closing your door. Uninterrupted time working on projects, paperwork, and other issues is your most productive time. You must have some quiet time every day. Stand up when an unexpected guest comes into your office or when the phone rings. You're standing posture provides a better position for controlling how long the interruption lasts. It is your fault if someone sits down and spends more time than you want them to. Communicate upfront how much time you have available. For example: "Sheila, I will be glad to discuss this idea with you. I have about 5 minutes. If it will take longer, I can give more attention and more time this afternoon at 3:30." When you ask a telephone receptionist to do other work in between calls, realize that the nature of their job is interruptions and the project will be slow. Understand that one hour's worth of work will take about three hours. A well-trained telephone receptionist is one of the most valuable marketing tools a company can have. The telephone receptionist's job is to be constantly interrupted so that other people don't get interrupted. Make sure that whatever jobs you give the receptionist don't add unreasonable pressure and do not interfere with their number one responsibility of greeting and responding to people well. Anticipating someone interrupting you is a time waster. If you visualize or expect someone will come by just to chat, it is a waste of time because you are spending your time thinking about how to avoid this situation. You might even use the circumstances to avoid focusing on work you don't want to do. This causes relationship tension. Neutralize tension by communicating with the person a win-win time when you can get together. Getting better at how you handle interruptions will increase your positive self esteem and decrease tension. Pick a couple of ideas from the above list and start practicing. It will take some time to develop the new habit. Below is a four step method for assuming a new habit. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The cost of hiring the wrong person for a position can run as high as the position's yearly salary. Would you like to know in advance all about the strengths and weaknesses of a candidate you are considering for hiring? People Smart Tools can help.First we benchmark the job. In essence, we let the job tell us its' behavior needs. We compare the behavioral needs of the job to the natural temperament of the candidate. The closer the fit; the better chance for a long-term employee. We help you select the best employee for the job and provide a roadmap for skill development and lasting retention. Email or call Jim at 325-792-1148 today. Click here for more information about People Smart Tool's unique employee selection process. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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4 Step Method for Creating a New Habit
I encourage you to take some "quiet time" today and examine how interruptions are affecting your workplace. Communicate relate and prosper today. All the best, Jim Rooney © Jim Rooney 2006. This article maybe used in whole or part as long as web address in noted.
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Quick Links... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:
rj@peoplesmarttools.com
phone:
(325) 792-1148
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