Interrupting Interruption and the Art of Refusal
“People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.”–Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes
Blaming idiots for interruptions is like blaming clowns for scaring children – they can’t help it. It’s their nature. Then again, I had (who am I kidding–I have), on occasion, been known to create interruptions out of thin air. If you’re anything like me, that makes us both occasional idiots. Learn to recognize and fight the interruption impulse.
This is infinitely easier when you have a set of rules, responses, and routines to follow: a ‘System’. It is your job to prevent yourself and others from letting the unnecessary and unimportant prevent the start-to-finish completion of the important.
1. Create ’systems’ to limit your availability via e-mail and phone and deflect inappropriate contact.
Get the auto response and voice mail script in place now, and master the various methods of evasion. Replace the habit of “How are you?’ with “How can I help you?” Get specific and remember–no stories. FOCUS on immediate actions. Set and practice interruption-killing policies.
–Avoid meetings whenever possible:
–Use e-mail instead of face-to-face meetings to solve problems
–Beg-off going (this can be accomplished through the Puppy Dog Close)
–If meetings are unavoidable, keep the following in mind:
–Go in with a clear set of objectives
–Set an end time or leave early
2. Batch activities to limit setup cost and provide more time for streamline milestones.
–What can I routinize by batching? That is, what tasks (whether laundry, groceries, mail, payments, or sales reporting, for example) can I allot to a specific time each day, week, month, quarter, or year so that I don’t squander time repeating them more often than is absolutely necessary.
3. Set or request autonomous rules and guidelines with occasional review of results.
–Eliminate the decision bottleneck for all things that are nonfatal if misperformed.
–If an employee, believe in yourself enough to ask for more independence on a trial basis.
–Have practical ‘rules’ prepared and ask the boss for the sale after surprising him or her with impromptu presentation. Remember the Puppy Dog Close — make it a one-time trial and reversible.
–For the entrepreneur or manager, give others the chance to prove themselves. The likelihood of irreversible or expensive problems is minimal and the time savings are guaranteed. Remember, profit is only profitable to the extent that you can use it. For that you need time.
Excerpt from The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris.
