Impromptu meetings
Allowing people to walk into your office and talk to you at any time can make you appear more welcoming and approachable – but it could be preventing you from knuckling down with other tasks. Re-evaluating your open door policy could be necessary. By scheduling all meetings instead, you’ll not only be able to focus on tasks, but you’ll be able to prepare for each meeting more thoroughly. Another option could be to have allocated periods of the day when you have an open door policy and other periods of the day when you don’t allow visitors (or you could work out of the office if you don’t want employees disturbing you).
Unscheduled phone calls
Answering phone calls can also serve as an interruption. Whilst some phone calls can be scheduled in advance, others may not be possible to be scheduled (e.g. inquiries from new customers or emergency calls). Some companies have found ways to get around this by outsourcing phone answering services such as VHQ. These companies can filter out all general inquiries and sales calls, relaying only the most important information to you so that you can focus on core tasks.
Urgent emails
Few emails are truly urgent – if it’s really an emergency, you’ll generally receive a phone call. That said, some clients can get into a habit of expecting instant replies. Consider putting an embargo on emails during periods when you need to concentrate – set up an out-of-office reply that tells people that they’re better off contacting you via phone. When it comes to continuous nagging email exchanges you may also be able to schedule a meeting or phone call so that the issue can be discussed more quickly rather than having to constantly email back and forth.
Tech faults
Tech faults can be one of the most infuriating interruptions. This could include a variety of different issues from software bugs to wi-fi interference to power cuts. Such interruptions may require calling out a technician to fix the issue in serious cases. However, this doesn’t have to be the case – you may be able to avoid many tech faults by outsourcing online IT support from a company such as Tech Donut. Such professionals may be able to diagnose and fix problems remotely and instantly so that you don’t have to wait for them to come out. You may also be able to make investments to guard against certain tech interruptions such as buying an uninterruptible power supply to temporarily continue receiving power after a power cut or paying for a back up wi-fi source in case your primary wi-fi fails.
