Stop Getting Interrupted
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All business owners need at least some time each week to get work done without the normal interruptions of a lively business. Sometimes you just need to get work done and ensure that you will not be disturbed. Here’s some ideas to get your juices flowing with strategies you can implement to protect your work time.
- Close your door – I remember a supervisor at a previous job who was a pro at maintaining her productivity. She had a very clear signal for whether she was available for you to enter her office and ask a question. When her door was closed, you were not to disturb her unless there was an urgent need or an emergency. When her door was open, it was never a problem to enter her office.
- Turn the ringer off on your phone – When I was in a meeting with the same supervisor, she would put her phone on “Do Not Disturb” so that calls went directly to her voice mail.
- Screen your calls – Another example comes from when I owned a computer store and would receive almost constant phone calls. There were times when I just had to get some work done and there were certain people that I still needed to talk to. I told those people to ask for Scott David (my middle name) when they called. My staff knew to let those phone calls through and to take a message if the caller didn’t have the “secret code”.
What do you need to do to protect your productivity? Schedule that time for yourself and use the tips above (or similar ones) to get your work done.
November 9th, 2009 at 2:46 PM
This is great! I also find that I need clear goals about what I want to accomplish becasue things have a way of mushrooming. I try to break-up my list into do-able parts in 20-30 minute segments. Because I am so used to multi-tasking, it is easy to fall into the trap of trying to do too much. Setting deadlines also helps me. I actually use a calendar-planner to keep on track.
Thanks!