Does this Happen to You?
Do you hate being interrupted at the office by supervisors or colleagues that seek to take up your time or use you to help them complete the tasks they should be doing themselves? I know exactly what it’s like and there’s nothing more obnoxious than being told to do something you’re already doing or even better, being told to do something you’ve already done. How do you solve this problem? It may be easier than you think so read on.
Keep an Ace Up Your Sleeve
First, don’t be a know-it-all. If you create an image of being an all-knowing deity at the office people will look to you for answers when they don’t know what they’re doing. Do them and Google a favor and get in the habit of telling them you don’t know but you’re sure that the information shouldn’t be hard to find on the Internet. This can benefit you in two ways: either they’ll think you’re incompetent (this is good) or they’ll think you aren’t interested in helping them.
Defend Yourself
Whether or not you’re a nice and friendly person is irrelevant to you, they’re stealing your time and energy, just like vampires! Arm yourself with the holy cross of ignorance and the pungent aroma of indifference. Unknowingly they’ll be trained not to bother you with things that they can do themselves. If you think about it you’re actually doing them a solid, good for you!
What Did You Say?
Another way to avoid these annoying interruptions at work is to be constantly busy. If you can wear headphones like the kind you put in your ears I suggest having them on whenever you’re not on the phone. You can listen to music or just dead air, they won’t know the difference. I suggest a good pair of comfortable in-ear headphones. Don’t go cheap because you may find yourself wearing them constantly.
Hold On Someone’s Bothering Me…
The other option you have is to wear your phone’s headset, if you have one. I don’t prefer this method but it will work if you don’t have headphones. If you know you’re on the verge of being interrupted grab the phone and pretend you’re on an important call. If the interrupter wants to wait around until you’re off the phone don’t let them. Tell your imaginary client to hold for a moment and hurriedly ask the offender to spit out what they want. Insist that they get it all out now or they’ll just end up bothering you again later.
Use Your Brain!
This is only the tip of the iceberg. Get creative in your quest to attain peace of mind at work. These are just a few of the ways that I get more done and enjoy more peace of mind at the office. You can do the same as me and depending on your own unique situation you may choose to implement more elaborate strategies!
