|
Lack of planning on
your part, does not constitute an emergency on my part.
-Anonymous
To stop or hinder
by breaking in. To break in upon an action. To break in with
questions or remarks while another is speaking." Webster,
1995
On a scale from 1 to 5,
please rate how each question describes you.
1
2
3
4
5
Not at all
Hey, this is me
| _____ |
1. I keep stacks of papers
on the chair in my office to discourage people from sitting down. |
| _____ |
2. I isolate myself by closing
the door to my office, or by working on important projects at home. |
| _____ |
3. I often use my answering
machine to screen calls. |
| _____ |
4. In a meeting, I work
from a written agenda and encourage the group to stay on task. |
| _____ |
5. I avoid interrupting my
own work by sticking to my schedule and avoiding jumping from task to
task. |
| _____ |
6. I keep my desk free from
clutter. |
Sound impossible? Did you
score low numbers on the quiz above? If so, you probably already know that
you tend to be distracted by interruptions! Let yourself be interrupted
once again to check out a few of the references noted below...
 |
Drop-in
visitors are one of the biggest time wasters, because they happen often
and are hard to resist. The majority of people automatically
respond, "sure, come on in" when asked "Do you have
a minute?" |
|
The
average phone call takes six minutes, yet most people believe they could
have competed the call in two minutes if they were more efficient. |
|
Interruptions
of any sort, (such as daydreaming, thoughts of other projects, or taking a
break) cause us to abandon the work at hand, leaving it unfinished.
This creates stress for co-workers relying on the completion of your work. |
 |
Discourage
lingering. |
|
Create
periods of isolation. |
|
Utilize
answering machine to record messages. |
|
Clear work
area daily; clutter creates constant interruption. |
For additional information about
balancing work/life, check out the OSU
Leadership Center website.
Some resources we recommend are:
A Complete Waste of Time:
Tales and Tips about Getting More Done
Mark
Ellwood. Pace Productivity, Inc.,
1999.
Includes:
 |
How to Say
No, p. 251 |
|
Dealing
with Requests from your Boss, p. 252 |
|
When you
Have to Say Yes, p. 253 |
|
Decision
Making quiz, pp. 111-112 |
How
to Be Organized in Spite of Yourself
Sunny Schlenger and Roberta Roesch. Signet Publishing, 1990.
Includes:
|
Accepting
Too Many Interruptions, p. 41
|
|
Dealing
with Interruptions, pp. 44-48
|
The Telephone and Time Management: Making
It a Tool and Not a Tyrant
Drew Scott, Ph.D. Crisp Publications Inc., 1988
Includes:
|
Three Steps to
Handle Phone Interruptions, p. 18 |
|
Don't Grow Old on
Hold, p. 27 |
|
Reduce Callback
Confusion, p. 28 |
|
Telephone
Management Interruptions, p. 66 |
The Time Trap
Alec Mackenzie. AMACOM,
1990.
Includes:
|
Blocking
Interruptions, p. 66 |
|
The Quiet Hour, p.
67 |
|
You and Your Boss,
p. 69 |
|
Handling Calls
Efficiently, p. 70 |
|
Check Yourself
Quiz, p. 72 |
|
"Drop-in
Visitors" Chapter 5, pp. 94-103 |
|
What to Say to
Visitors, p. 95 |
|
Who's Time is More
Important, p. 98 |
|
The Open Door, p.
99 |
|
Solutions, p. 100 |
|
Check Yourself
Quiz, p. 103 |
|
"Leaving Tasks
Unfinished" Chapter 13, pp. 151-153 |
|
Check Yourself
Quiz, p. 152 |
If you
would like to borrow these or other resources from the OSU Leadership Center,
please click on the logo
 Home
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Balance 
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Setting
Priorities Managing
Procrastination
|
Dealing with Interruptions
