WEBVTT - Sometimes interruptions are the work

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that sometimes interruptions are the work. Sure, it's

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<v Speaker 1>generally a good idea to be focused and to get

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<v Speaker 1>done whatever you intend to do. But occasionally what seems

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<v Speaker 1>like an interruption may be the most important thing you

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<v Speaker 1>could do in that moment. So we have probably all

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<v Speaker 1>been there. You are cranking through things, getting things done

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<v Speaker 1>when someone pops their head into your office. Got a minute,

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe it's a message from a new hire on slack. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>you might want to keep doing whatever it is you

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<v Speaker 1>are doing, but that new hire clearly has something weighing

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<v Speaker 1>on her, and if you are her manager, supporting your

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<v Speaker 1>team is a clear part of your job. You have

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<v Speaker 1>to do the work that's in front of you, but

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<v Speaker 1>figuring out what's bothering that new hire and how you

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<v Speaker 1>can help is quite possibly the most important thing you

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<v Speaker 1>could do for your team's long term productivity. Sometimes the

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<v Speaker 1>interruption is the work. Sometimes the interruption isn't so much

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<v Speaker 1>a person as a thing or event. There are times

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<v Speaker 1>when we are wise to pause the planned work to

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<v Speaker 1>respond to a time sensitive need or an opportunity that

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<v Speaker 1>comes up unexpectedly. For instance, sometimes I'm asked to provide

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<v Speaker 1>a quote on something topical for a news publication. These

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<v Speaker 1>interruptions are generally worth my time because they tend to

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<v Speaker 1>provide opportunities for me to broaden my audience. Maybe you

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<v Speaker 1>get a call from your biggest client with an urgent need.

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<v Speaker 1>Addressing that need and maintaining that client relationship may be

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<v Speaker 1>more important than completing your invoices for last month, or

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<v Speaker 1>whatever task it is that you had been doing before

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<v Speaker 1>the person called. Sometimes the interruptions are the work now.

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<v Speaker 1>I am not suggesting that people spend their work days

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<v Speaker 1>in reactive mode dealing with whatever person or new task

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<v Speaker 1>presents itself. It is definitely good to plan your work

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<v Speaker 1>days and for the most part, to adhere to your

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<v Speaker 1>plan whenever possible. At the same time as your work

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<v Speaker 1>day unfolds, it's wise to be intentional in responding to

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<v Speaker 1>perceived interruptions. Some interruptions need to be avoided so you

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<v Speaker 1>can do the work that you planned. Other times you

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<v Speaker 1>need to lean into the interruption and recognize the value

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<v Speaker 1>of attending to the person who is asking for your

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<v Speaker 1>help or the need to respond to something that is

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<v Speaker 1>more important than whatever it is you plan to do.

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<v Speaker 1>So when you perceive yourself as being interrupted, pause and

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<v Speaker 1>ask yourself what you are choosing between what is best

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<v Speaker 1>for you to do now. You might need to ask

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<v Speaker 1>your colleague to come back later, or it might be

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<v Speaker 1>better to deal with that issue right now, but make

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<v Speaker 1>sure you are choosing this thoughtfully. One way to keep

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<v Speaker 1>this choice from being frustrating is to have more margin

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<v Speaker 1>in your schedule in general. I interviewed a business leader

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<v Speaker 1>once who would spend an hour in a coffee shop

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<v Speaker 1>each morning working on his most important focused task. That way,

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<v Speaker 1>he could respond in a welcoming way to whoever stopped

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<v Speaker 1>by his office or if employees stopped him in the hallway.

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<v Speaker 1>He had already knocked out the focused work so he

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<v Speaker 1>could be more relaxed about these interruptions. He had arranged

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<v Speaker 1>his schedule so they weren't interrupting anything that really mattered.

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<v Speaker 1>I think this is smart and might be one way

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<v Speaker 1>to think about organizing your schedule. You can go silent

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<v Speaker 1>and work from home days for a few hours and

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<v Speaker 1>get things cranked out. Then you can purposefully be more

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<v Speaker 1>interactive at the office. Sure, you might have been looking

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<v Speaker 1>at your laptop, but when the new hire stops by,

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<v Speaker 1>you immediately stop and turn and smile and make it

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<v Speaker 1>clear that the interruption is just fine. You know that

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<v Speaker 1>this is important work. In the meantime. This is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit

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<v Speaker 1>the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows.