Got a Moment?
An interesting yet typical time problem came up the other day while talking with a client. We were talking about things that take up much too much time during the day to day operations. I call these things "Time Sponges." These are things that occur during the course of our days that add nothing to our return on investment in the time realm. In fact, not only do they add nothing, they mostly take away from our time and show a negative return due to the impact on our schedule.
One time sponge brought up in our discussion concerned unscheduled interruptions. My client had most of her day scheduled in five to 10 minute intervals. She planned everything for the day and when an interruption occurred that was unplanned, it really threw things off track. One interruption really had a major impact on her operations.
The interruption that we discussed was not unlike other interruptions that occur to us in our own businesses and lives. Even in some classes I teach, eager students bring up the problem usually wanting to put this problem to rest. It is so typical and yet many do not know that there's a very simple way to solve it.
The situation can be boiled down to a person sticking their head in the door and asking if they can talk with you for a moment. That "moment" can sometimes take up to three hours if you're not well prepared. When schedules are tight, any problem with handling interruptions causes problems overall. The trickle-down effect can be awesome.
There's many a reason that people have problems with interruptions. Sometimes we get on such familiar terms with our personnel that we get casual about our time boundaries when they're around. Other times, we are fearful that saying "no" to an interruption and demand for our time will be taken offensively by the interrupting party. Still other times we want our co-workers to think that we're there for them, even at our own expense. When you think about it, all these reasons get in the way of good relations and operations.
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Do you find this concept "provoking?" Care to read more? Want to take action that will "provoke your success?" This and fifty-seven more chapters designed to provoke your success can be found here.
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Coach John S. Nagy is CEO and Lead Business Coach for Coaching for Success. Inc., a Business Coaching Service specifically designed for top level decision makers dedicated to peak performance in all facets of their activities. He's hired to focus them continuously in activities that bring higher returns on their resource use. His programs are for the seriously committed. This means having his clients work "ON" their businesses, not just "IN" it. He's a published author and a multi-degree professional with a nationwide client base. Coach Nagy can be reached through his E-mail address at his website at http://www.coach.net and by calling 813-949-0718.
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Copyright © 1999-2007 John S. Nagy
