Laura Vanderkam

Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeart Radio.

Good morning.

This is Laura.

Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Today's tip is that sometimes interruptions are the work.

Sure, it's generally a good idea to be focused and to get done whatever you intend to do.

But occasionally, what seems like an interruption may be the most important thing you could do in that moment.

So we've probably all been there.

You are cranking through things, getting things done, when someone pops their head into your office.

Got a minute?

Or maybe it's a message from a new hire on Slack.

Now you might want to keep doing whatever it is you are doing.

But that new hire clearly has something weighing on her.

And if you are her manager, supporting your team is a clear part of your job.

You have to do the work that's in front of you, but figuring out what's bothering that new hire and how you can help is quite possibly the most important thing you could do for your team's long term productivity.

Sometimes the interruption is the work.

Sometimes the interruption isn't so much a person as a thing or event.

There are times when we are wise to pause the planned work to respond to a time-sensitive need or an opportunity that comes up unexpectedly.

For instance, sometimes I'm asked to provide a quote on something topical for a news publication.

These interruptions are generally worth my time because they tend to provide opportunities for me to broaden my audience.