The downside of being too available at work is that it can hurt productivity. You need to find the right balance of being a team player and pursuing your big picture goals. Too often, you’re putting your needs last by allowing yourself to be interrupted at any moment.
All these distractions start to add up and do you find that after each one, it takes you a little while to reengage with your work? And have you trained people to think of you like a convenience store, where they can visit anytime?
These are important questions to consider and they should be a start of a review of how you spend your time at work. Remember, productive time is a finite resource. Research has found that the ability to focus without interruptions is a highly desired workplace feature.
When you are very busy or working on an important project, consider if you can:
- Close the door to focus
- Turn off your phone and email notifications
- Move to a quieter area that promotes improved concentration
Each of these strategies can be tested for a short amount of time, if you feel nervous about being unavailable. Even a half hour can allow you to focus more on your work.
You may also discover that people will respect these boundaries and the world won’t end if you unplug for a little while. Remember, you’re avoiding things that hurt productivity.
Let’s say you have a job where you have to accessible all the time or have no door that you can close.
In this scenario, take a week or two and track when you are interrupted. Patterns may emerge that may show you when people aren’t bothering you. Those times can be reserved for your important, high concentration work.
Also, track the nature of the interruptions. Do they fall into patterns? If people come to you at the same time with the same questions, then maybe you can preemptively send out the answers.
Your ability to handle distractions at work can play a huge role in your effectiveness on the job.
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