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Have You Got a Minute?
Such an innocuous little phrase, yet when you are hard at work, really focused and engrossed in what you are doing this seemingly harmless request can be a nightmare distraction. "The average American has 50 interruptions a day, of which 70% have nothing to do with work" W. Edwards Deming Interruptions are on of the main time stealers that get in the way of productivity. Whether it is phone, email or person generated, have you got a minute? can really break your concentration, affect your mood and make you feel irritated and frustrated. Have you got a minute can so easily turn into 5, 15 or even 30 minutes and suddenly your day is behind schedule but, remember you let it happen. However, the good news is that it is within your control to do something about it. You can stop or at least manage these situations
Here are my top 5 tips for managing interruptions 1. If you work in your own office - close the door and put a notice on the outside saying please do not disturb until 2.30pm (or whatever time you will be finished doing what you are doing) 2. If you work in an open plan office, put a note on your desk or on top of your PC saying I need to concentrate, please do not disturb , then take it down when you are finished. 3. If you need to have uninterrupted time each day, switch off your phone, close down your email and let your colleagues, boss and team know that for example, you do not want to be interrupted, plan meetings, chat etc every day between 8.30 and 9am. 4. In response to the Have you got a minute? You can say a. No b. Not at the moment but if you come back in 30 minute I will have c. I have a maximum of 5 minutes. What specifically do you want to speak to me about and is 5 minutes enough? If so go ahead. If not, suggest a more convenient time d. Tell me what you specifically want to talk to me about and then I'll tell you whether now is a good time to discuss it 5. Educate your colleagues, team, boss to do all of the above and respect their wishes too. This helps create good habits all round Now go and Take Control of Your Time your minutes are precious! ©2005 Beverley Hamilton About The Author
Beverley Hamilton is the author of Take Control of Your Time: 7 Straight Shooter Strategies for Success. To learn more, subscribe to Quickstart her free ezine and get more tips, tools and articles visit at One Step Further NOTE: You're welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered including the "about the author" information at the end.
MORE RESOURCES:
Time management a major problem in AfricaBusiness Daily Africa, Kenya - 16 hours ago... in markets across the continent, I was continuously intrigued by the similarities many of our brothers and sisters had when it came to time management. ... |
Time management and multi-tasking employeesEconomic Times, India - Nov 18, 2008And it is time management that churns out this skill in an employee. “ Time management makes an employee more productive, helps him/her reach his/her goal ... |
Does Time Management Even Exist?Baruch College The Ticker, NY - Nov 13, 2008So "time management" is a mislabeled problem, which has little chance of being an effective approach. What you really manage is your activity during time, ... |
WPU Holds Seminar on Time ManagementPioneer Times, NJ - Nov 10, 2008A healthy diet and adequate exercise are just a few tips Samantha Benson suggests to students in help of managing their time. It is a struggle to manage all ... |
Time ManagementKVUE, TX - Nov 4, 2008And fate just seemed to be on their side. But looking back with those 20-20 glasses sure makes you wish time management had been on your side. |
Time-Management - Google News
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