Do you ever have co-workers or employees that just drop by your office to chat? Time is precious. Once it is gone, you can’t get it back. So you have to make the best use of what you have. Don’t let people take advantage of your time. Do people truly need to talk or do they just “want” to talk? This doesn’t mean you never have time for others, it just means you limit the time you give away or let others take, especially when you are busy, on a deadline, or a tight schedule.
Some tips to help you accomplish this.
1. Be polite, but say, “I would love to chat, but I’m on a tight schedule today. Can we make an appointment tomorrow” or whenever it is convenient for you. If it is important the person will schedule. Most likely they will say it wasn’t important and forget about it.
2. Close your door if you have one.
3. Hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door or desk.
4. Keep a pile of papers on the extra chair in your office so people don’t just make themselves at home.
5. Keep writing or typing when someone walks in, listen but make sure it looks like you are concentrating on something.
6. Don’t answer the phone. It will move your focus elsewhere. Whatever the person has to say, they can tell voice mail. People are always much briefer when talking to a machine than a real person.
Try at least one of these tips out today and let me know if it makes a difference. If you have a tip to add, please list it in the comments.