How to be nice and stop interruptors at work

Nobody likes to be interrupted at work all the time by people stepping into your cubicle or poking their head into your office. It is not only distracting but it causes you to momentarily stop your workflow because we know it takes us at least a few minutes to get back to what we were doing.  It can be difficult and feel confrontational to ask colleagues (or your boss!) to stop interrupting your work with their physical presence in your professional workspace.

This week, I give you straightforward advice on How to be nice and stop interruptors at work. My strategy is always to be collaborative, helpful and professional whenever you have to communicate something potentially difficult. I walk you through the pro-active conversation you can have with your team to encourage and educate everyone how to be more effective and more productive by eliminating the physical interruptions. You will be known as a leader and a collaborator once you address this common problem that affects everyone. 

Science now proves that we make more errors in our work product and we take much longer than originally predicted to get back to our tasks when we are interrupted. It's very difficult to ask another person to stop interrupting you while you work- whether or not they have a legitimate reason. Once your colleagues understand how damaging and time consuming interruptions are, they are far more likely to be on board when you suggest alternatives. Use scientific evidence and your own experiences to support your effort to reduce physical interruptions and distractions at work.

This is just one article outlining the science proving poor quality work output as a direct result from interruptions. Distraction Damages Work Quality.

Not everyone will believe it's an issue (science proves that organizations suffer due to interruptions) then you need to track the number of times you are interrupted to prove it. Data speaks volumes, so accurately track the number of times in one day you are interrupted. Here is my FREE  Time Diary Tool I specifically designed to track your work activities and yes, tracking interruptions is essential to time management. Easy to follow instructions for my proprietary Time Management tool are included. My Time Diary Tool has been used by several working professionals to initiate conversations with their bosses and co-workers about the amount of time interruptions distract from their main work objective. They were able to work out a collaborative plan for resolving this issue once management saw how many times everyone was getting interrupted by co-workers walking by and "just popping in". 

You can be the hero with this strategy of how to be nice and stop interruptors at work. Co-workers will love you for coming up with a collaborative solution to this common frustration. Your boss will regard you as a problem solver and a leader when you use my simple strategy. 

Now go make it a great day! 

If you found this video helpful, please share it with your friends and colleagues who complain about this problem. They will be happy you thought of them and thrilled you found a solution!