Managing interruptions

Whether we waste our own time or other people waste it for us, we need to be disciplined and vigilant if we want to gain some time. Managers most often point to interruptions from other people as one of their main time wasters.

You cannot eliminate interruptions completely but you can manage them by some of the following strategies.

Be firm, clear and assertive

  • Ask the interrupter what it is they want to discuss and how long they need. Then negotiate around their expectations.
  • Use active listening to hear what is being asked and summarise what is being asked
  • Be realistic about what you promise.
  • Don’t be pressurised into giving unqualified yes answers you might use YES if… or YES when…
  • Deliver what you promise if you’ve agreed to something stick to it or tell the person in good time if you can’t realistically deliver.
  • Learn to say no sometimes
  • Develop phrases to end discussion, e.g. Well, is that settled, then? Good; I’m glad we’ve got that sorted out for now I’m looking forward to talking to you more about this on Friday
  • Be respectful of the other person’s need at that time
  • Be prepared to be flexible sometimes!

    • Keep control: Be proactive NOT reactive

    Pro-activity: Owning the power to act.
    Reactivity: Letting circumstances and others set your agenda.

    One of the key principles in effective Time Management is accepting your own power to affect how things happen around you. Although it may seem that you are completely driven by outside events your own behaviour affects your results.

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