When You Get Interrupted At Work A Million Times A Day...

One of the most negatively impactful things at work is interruptions. On average, it takes people 23 minutes to get back on track after an interruption, according to a study done by the University of California Irvine. If you do creative work and are an introvert, you could spend as much time trying to get into the right energy after an interruption.

In my career as a software engineer, I've had this happen to me a ton of times in my early career. I'd have a big project to complete and would have to handle walk-ups, critical maintenance calls, and spontaneous meetings that happen several times a day. It was frustrating because I never felt in control of my time and always responded to other people's poorly planned emergencies. By the end of the day, I would be completely exhausted, only to do it again the next day.

It was miserable and unsustainable. Something needed to change.

That something was me. I realized there would always be high demand for my attention at work, so I needed to become a weapon at getting things done and protecting my focus.

So I started to work at places other than my desk. I started having conversations with my boss like, "I can help with this, but then that will be late. What should I focus on?" When I could get hour-long chunks of focus time, things got DONE!

So have you ever been in an environment where interruptions happened all the time? Did it seem unnecessarily stressful because other people couldn't manage their time? Did people tell you it was YOUR time management skills that needed improvement?

 Here's what can help you manage interruptions (primarily if you work from home now):

1. Change Your Environment
2. Hierarchy of Communication
3. Communicate Impacts
4. Create blocks of time that you defend to the death
5. Delegate or say no.

These strategies can help you focus, and it can sometimes feel tough to implement them. Folks may say it's your time management skills that are lacking, yet it's more likely how you are communicating is impacting how much you are getting interrupted. If you can stick with them, you'll see a change in your productivity and a reduction in your stress levels, though.