The Productivity Pro® Blog by Laura Stack - Time Management, Getting Things Done, How to Be More Productive

Protecting Yourself From Drop-In Interruptions

1. Set up a self-help center.
If you have people walking into your office and asking for forms or answers to their questions, create an answer area outside of your office. You could use a document sorter, cabinet, or wall storage.
Every time you’re asked for something, stock it in the self-help center. That way the next time someone comes in and asks for that exact same information, you can say, “Absolutely. It’s out there in the self-help center.” And guess what? Pretty soon people start helping themselves, saving you time.

2. Use an understood signal.
Use an understood signal with the rest of your team that communicates “I am really up against a deadline right now. I would really prefer not to be interrupted. If there’s an emergency, come on in and interrupt me. But I’m trying to get ready for a meeting in 15 minutes.”

This signal could be a Do Not Disturb sign. Maybe police tape across the door. I’ve seen people wear orange armbands or different color hats. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as everyone on the team is familiar with the signal and respects it. Of course you can’t wear your hat all day. You have to abide by the spirit of the signal, but this technique will reduce the amount of interruptions.

3. Set up appointments.
When someone drops in to your office to discuss a client file or an upcoming project, your brain may become completely wrapped up in something totally different. So requesting “Hey, can I call you in thirty minutes? I’ll wrap this up and will be prepared to discuss your project at that time.” That way you can finish what you’re doing, get prepared for the new appointment, and speak intelligently without being rushed.

4. Set aside some down-time with your team.
Get together with your team and agree on certain times of the day to work, such as 9:00 to 10:30 every day. Agree that you won’t drop in on each other, call each other, or hold meetings. We will simply work. Reserve a 90-minute period of time for no interruptions and head-down focus time.

5. Create set office hours.
Block out your calendar and schedule fixed office hours, where you’ll be available for interruptions. In the same way college professors have “office hours,” you could designate times you are ready and available for drop-ins. Outside of those periods, you’re there, but you’re busy working.

For example, my travel agent doesn’t book tickets on Mondays. Guess when we call? Tuesday through Friday. You might think people wouldn’t abide by this, but they will. Come up with your hours, perhaps 9:00-11:00 and 1:00-3:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Print out your calendars. Post them where people can see them, and they can sign up for times to come and discuss particular issues with you at that time.

6. Schedule regular check-in times with your manager.
What if your manager is always in meetings or traveling? When she is back in the office, you’re tempted to grab her and rattle off the 17 questions you’ve been saving. Instead, use a log to keep track of all the things you need to discuss. Schedule a set time each week to get together and discuss everything at once. Perhaps it’s going to be at 8:00 AM or 1:00 PM or both. But you know that you’re going to have a period of time that you’ll be able to cover all your questions. That way, rather than interrupting nine times and asking one question each time, you can interrupt one time and ask nine questions.

7. Revise your office configuration.
Consider your office configuration and desk arrangement. If you face a hallway or a busy traffic area, you’ll look up as people walk by. If someone catches your eye, smiles, and says, “How are you?” Boom! You just bought yourself a ten-minute interruption. The better way to face is with your back to the door, so you are less likely to be distracted by those random drive-by visitors.

8. Screen your calls.
Okay, admit it. When the phone rings, how many times have you looked down at the Caller ID, saw who was calling, and let it go to voicemail? We’ve all done that!

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It is often a good idea to use technology when you are working on deadline, or you’re trying to get your manager out the door for a meeting in 15 minutes. It’s a good idea to let that call go.

9. Hide.
That’s right – hide. If you have a pressing deadline and just simply can’t stop getting interrupted, go somewhere people can’t find you. Find an empty conference room or use the office of a coworker who is on vacation. Go down to the cafeteria or the library. If nothing else, pick up your laptop and head off to Starbucks or work from home, where people can’t find you. At least then, you can plow through a project without being interrupted.

To find out more about The Productivity Pro®, Inc. or have Laura Stack speak at an upcoming meeting or event, please visit at www.theproductivitypro.com.
Make it a productive day! ™

© 2010 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved.

1. Don’t take personalities personally.
I have heard many stories from admins whose boss was a grouchy type of person, who say to me, “Oh, he doesn’t like me. We just don’t get along.” When the boss gets a promotion she thought, “I’m going to be left behind.” He said, “Are you kidding? I can’t do anything without you.”
Do not think that just because someone is in a bad mood that it reflects on you, or if someone has a crotchety personality that s/he doesn’t like you. Always be your capable, competent, positive self.

2. Change your focus.
Focus on the 175 things that you did right today, not the one thing that you did wrong. So many people get upset when they make a little mistake. They made a typo in a letter or sent an email to the wrong person or copied someone they shouldn’t have.
Mistakes happen. That does not mean that you are a failure. That means you can learn from that one thing. But really focus on all of the ways you do provide value, and that you are an asset to your manager.

3. This is not brain surgery.
Take your job seriously, but take yourself lightly. Ultimately, on your deathbed, you are not going to say, “Oh, gee. I wish I would have spent a little more time typing up that document. Oh, if I had just reviewed that email for another ten minutes, it wouldn’t have gone out with that mistake.”
You can love your career, but you exist beyond what you do for a living. Take pride in what you do, but remember to keep a sense of humor when things that go wrong.

4. I am not just an admin!
Repeat these words to yourself frequently: “I am not just an admin!” When someone asks you, “What do you do for a living?” do not reply, “I’m just an admin.”
You are a valuable member of the team. Your position is important. Admins are the heartbeat of an organization, and much falls apart when you are not around. Look what happens when you take a day off! You are an important contributor, so hold your head high and be proud to be an admin.

5. Practice preventative assertions.
When things go wrong and deadlines aren’t met, go back to the person who missed it after-the-fact and explain what you need in the future.
Say, “It’s important that I receive this information in a timely fashion to make the deadline. This time was rushed, and some mistakes were made. The next time, I need this information from you on this date. How far in advance do you want me to provide it, so you can return it to me on time?”
Set those criteria, so that people know better how to interact with you. Don’t just always be the fall gal or the scapegoat.

6. Do not cross your ethical and moral boundaries.
Some admins confided that people have asked them to break the rules. “Oh, I know you’re supposed to send this through Processing, but can you just do it really quick and not send it through there?”
Just respond back, “I don’t want to make a mistake. I need to follow the procedure in this case to ensure that this goes out as it should.”

7. Be assertive.
If you are under the gun and someone’s hovering over your shoulder watching you, and they won’t go away, you are probably feeling a little more nervous because they’re standing there!
Be assertive. Say to them, “I’d get this done much more efficiently if you can come back in 30 minutes.” Speak your mind. Do not be passive and just let everybody take advantage of you. Do not be aggressive and make enemies, but come from the heart in an honest place and state what you need.

8. Manage in advance.
Don’t wait for crisis. Always be looking ahead. Be proactive. What’s happening next week? Is there a meeting coming up that you need to help with documents and copying?
Plan ahead. Is there a trip that’s coming up in a couple of months? What could I do to prepare my manager for that trip long before he or she ever asks me for the information?

9. How can you help your manager be more efficient?
Always exude the attitude, “I am here to help. It is my job to help you be successful.” The more the people you support who are successful, the more you will be successful.
Hopefully these nine tips have given you ideas on great strategies for success as an administrative professional.

To find out more about The Productivity Pro®, Inc. or have Laura Stack speak at an upcoming meeting or event, please visit at www.theproductivitypro.com.
Make it a productive day! ™

What’s the first thing you do when you begin your day? What do you literally do when you sit down to begin working?

Many people do the “beverage ritual.” They get all their beverages just right and their snacks all lined up and settled. Maybe they do a little bit of checking on blog postings to see what’s come in and of course visit Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Next they check e-mail and get sucked into that vortex for a couple of hours. Now what time is it? Lunchtime! How do you feel after lunch? Probably pretty low energy. What do you feel like working on? Nothing. At least nothing that requires a very high level of energy and focus.

I would suggest instead that you think very carefully about the leading activity of your day, because it’s going to set you up for success or failure that day. My suggestion is every day, you sit down—as the last thing you do before you leave the office—and ask yourself, “If there were one thing that I could accomplish tomorrow in order for me to feel like it was a productive day, what would that one thing be?”

I challenge you when you get to work the next morning, don’t do anything until you sit down and do that one thing. Whether it’s recording a quick two-minute episode of a new video series that you are starting, writing an article, or doing a proposal, pick something that’s going to require a fairly high level of concentration, brain power, problem solving, decision-making, or only have the capacity to do when you’re at your highest energy level.

Most people have the majority of their energy in the morning. If so, do the important task first thing. Can you not even open your Outlook, or your Internet browser, or do anything until that one thing is complete?

When it’s done, check your e-mail as a reward. I promise you that one singular habit will make your day start off on the right track and help you leave at the end of the day feeling like you got the most important thing done.

Please share your tips and tricks on how to get your day started in the most productive manner. I look forward to hearing your ideas!

We all want to do our part to help the environment. But if you can give the Earth a break and increase your productivity at the same time, that’s a real no-brainer! Luckily, a lot of the things you can do to help sustain the planet can help sustain your productivity as well.

(C) Copyright 2009 Laura Stack. All rights reserved.

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