Sometimes interruptions are the work
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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. Maybe you get a call from your biggest client with an urgent need.
Addressing that need and maintaining that client relationship may be more important than completing your invoices for last month or whatever task it is that you had been doing before the person called. Sometimes, the interruptions are the work. Now, I'm not suggesting that people spend their work days in reactive mode, dealing with whatever person or new task presents itself. It is definitely good to plan your work days, and for the most part, to adhere to your plan whenever possible. At the same time as your workday unfolds, it's wise to be intentional in responding to perceived interruptions. Some interruptions need to be avoided so you can do the work that you planned. Other times, you need to lean into the interruption and recognize the value of attending to the person who is asking for your help or the need to respond to something that is more important than whatever it is you plan to do.
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So when you perceive yourself as being interrupted, pause and ask yourself what you are choosing between. What is best for you to do now? You might need to ask your colleague to come back later. Or it might be better to deal with that issue right now. But make sure you are choosing this thoughtfully. One way to keep this choice from being frustrating is to have more margin in your schedule in general. I interviewed a business leader once who would spend an hour in a coffee shop each morning working on his most important focused task. That way, he could respond in a welcoming way to whoever stopped by his office or if employees stopped him in the hallway. He had already knocked out the focused work, so he could be more relaxed about these interruptions.
He had arranged his schedule so they weren't interrupting anything that really mattered. I think this is smart and might be one way to think about organizing your schedule. You can go silent on work-from-home days for a few hours and get things cranked out. Then you can purposefully be more interactive at the office. Sure, you might have been looking at your laptop. But when the new hire stops by, you immediately stop and turn and smile and make it clear that the interruption is just fine.
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