Controlling Interruptions with Verne Harnish
1 commentsNotes from the VHS tape Controlling Interruptions - How to Free up an Hour a Day, with Verne Harnish. Nick's note -- I classify interruptions as emails, phone calls, requests from coworkers, etc - anything reactive that prohibits me from being proactive at the office.
- 168 = Number of hours per week
- Interruptions make us feel important and busy. They can also bring us good news.
- But interruptions are poorly timed and they ruin our workday concentration.
- Don't let power and ego get in the way of your goal to eliminate interruptions.
How to control interruptions - List, Eliminate,
Anticipate, Delegate
- List - What people? What events?
- Eliminate - Ask yourself, What would happen if this task wasn't handled at all?
- Anticipate - It is much easier to handle 10 questions at one time, compared to being interrupted 10 different times throughout the day.
- Delegate - For more information on delegation, check out the book The One Minute Manager Meets The Monkey. (ed note - I am not making that title up.)
More on the Anticipate step...
- Batch similar interruptions together.
- Balance between being hard to reach and being available. Reward people for waiting. There is a big difference between an open door policy and an open mind. An open door policy tends towards half-baked responses when you are not focused.
Physicians have a pretty good schedule. When they arrive at the hospital, they have a series of back-to-back 5 or 10 minute patient meetings. Then they have surgery. Would you want your doctor interrupted while he was permorning surgery? Also, physicians perform their surgeries in the morning when they are most alert.
To help control rambling telephone conversations, use a person's name followed by a pointed question to regain control. When ending a conversation, come to a specific conclusion.