The clear response from HCI members is that unscheduled interruptions interferes most with your ability to stop the action to focus and think. To deal with unscheduled interruptions you need to set boundaries. If you have any interest in being seen as Nice, this can be a challenge. Simply put, you need to be more ruthless (without being nasty). You need to say ‘no’ to people. At first this can be difficult, but I have found colleagues learn quickly to respect my boundaries. It has also grown my team’s ability to make decisions and do things for themselves.
I say ‘no’ in a variety of ways. I do not accept meeting invitations when I am not really needed. When I am in a meeting with someone, they needed to be the most important person at that moment. So I say ‘no’ to phone calls. When I am on the phone I turn off my computer screen so I am not tempted to look at emails. They can wait. Having this clear hierarchy of priorities ensures I stay present and maintain the clarity of my thinking.
Setting boundaries means being clear with colleagues about your needs and limits. If you can’t meet a deadline or respond to a request quickly, say so. Similar conversations about your availability may help with your family, especially if you decide to work at home sometimes. Working at home can give you freedom from interruptions and distractions at the office, but can bring up other distractions at home.
Some readers suggested that the distractions they faced were not external, but internal—too much running around in their head. We will return to techniques to deal with this challenge next time. In the meantime, I would love to hear what strategies work for you in managing external intrusions.
Joshua Ehrlich, PhD, is the Dean of the BeamPines/Middlesex University Master’s Program in Executive Coaching. Josh presented at an HCI webcast recently on Essential Disciplines to Focus, Create and Lead. He advises CEOs and senior leaders on complex organizational challenges. He is an executive coach, supervisor and accreditor of coaches at BeamPines, a talent management consulting firm based in NYC. Josh speaks to a variety of audiences about international coaching standards and brings together coaches from around the world to teach best practices. His research at Yale and New York University and numerous articles have clarified the psychological and physiological mechanisms by which stress impairs effectiveness.
I agree saying "no" can be a challenge at first for many of us but it really is the only effective and practical way to get through a busy day. Personally, I don't believe people can effectively multitask and your comments on getting to no support this. You cannot stop, reflect and focus if you are also trying to multitask. Providing the necessary attention and concentration to whatever you are doing in the moment is required. Too often, executives try to accomplish too much at once and desire to be seen as decisive when in fact, they are probably making ill-considered decisions due to haste and attempts at multitasking. I would also include poor listening skills but that is another topic for another day.....