Could Your Office Use a 'No Interruptions' Hour?

“The time to relax is when you don't have time for it.”
- Sydney J. Harris (American Journalist for the Chicago Daily News C 1917 – 1986

It was two years ago and yet I remember it like it was this past week. A client
was telling me how over whelmed she was at work. She had so much to do and she could not get enough accomplished, plus people kept stopping by her desk.
Between the work load and the drop-ins she was going nuts. I told her that if I
were in here shoes, I would stop everything and take a quick break. I might go
for a short walk or spend a few minutes meditating. That would help me relax
and refocus and then I would be able to concentrate. I would be refreshed and
have better energy.

She looked at me as if I was a lunatic. Actually she did not just look at me, she actually told me she thought I was crazy. However, she did
continue working with me and we did find a solution that helped to ease her
stress. The solution that worked for her was to schedule two hours a week in a
conference room and go into that conference room alone and work. This allowed
her to concentrate and to have some time away from the steady stream of people
who stopped by her desk.

Basically she began to schedule a ‘no interruptions’ time for herself. This is a great way to stay focused when you have too many distractions around you. Tell your team, your boss and anyone else that interrupts you that you are unavailable. Ignore your phone and your emails and take a couple of hours to concentrate. You will be able to complete so much more work that hopefully it will take some of the pressure off.

PS – I still think it is a good idea to give yourself a quick break when you are
feeling overwhelmed but I understand that some of you just will not see the
sense in stepping away from your work when you have so much to do!

If you have a question about the human side of the workplace, just ask Margaret by sending your questions to Ask@MargaretMeloni.com.