If you work in a cubicle environment, it could be extremely challenging to avoid interruptions during your workday. However, to be productive, it is critical to be able to minimize such interruptions so you can focus on your tasks at hand. I found this article from the McGhee Productivity Solutions newsletter, written by John Wittry, their Executive Consultant. I love the many creative ideas he presented. I hope you will find some tips & tools to help you set better boundaries and increase productivity at work.

I think some of these ideas can be modified and implement at home too. If you are a stay-at-home or work-at-home parent, you share the same challenge of unwanted interruptions throughout the day. So as you read this article, think about how you can use some of these ideas or principles to create your own solutions at home.

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Controlling Interruptions in A Cubicle Environment

Don’t you just love those people who pop their heads over your cubicle wall or stand in your doorway and say “Do you have a second?” And is it really ever just a second? When working with my clients, I often get asked about how to control interruptions when working in a cubicle environment. This is an important question when you consider the lost time and energy every interruption represents.

Cubicle environments are great in terms of encouraging collaboration and controlling building costs, and they are very economical from both a short-term build out perspective as well as a long term reorganization point of view. These factors are traditionally what drive the cubicle environment.

The downside is that 'in person' interruptions greatly increase and are significantly harder to control with this configuration. Consider that every time you are interrupted, you lose 5 to 10 minutes getting back to the level of concentration you were at prior to the interruption. Multiply that amount of time by the number of unnecessary interruptions you get on a daily basis and there is a significant productivity loss. Unfortunately, the victim in us wants to say “But I just don’t have a door to close to keep the drive-bys from happening all the time!”

All is not lost, however, and with some creativity and communication, you can establish boundaries that will help reduce unnecessary interruptions while maintaining the positive aspects of cubicles. These fall into four general categories:

• Visual and physical boundaries - I have seen individuals and teams create effective visual boundaries that can be utilized to indicate when a person cannot be interrupted. Some things I have had my clients successfully put in place include:

• A picture posted in a frame outside the cubicle wall that represents the cubicle inhabitant in a stressed state. When posted, it means “Do Not Disturb.”
• Flags that when lowered mean interruptions are okay and when raised mean
  no interruptions
• Crime scene tape across doorways
• Color coded cards posted at the entry way of the cubicle. Colors can represent
  different things; do not disturb, available, on vacation, etc.
• Headphones

•Tools - Create ways for people to leave messages or drop things off for you when you cannot be interrupted:

• Have an inbox strategically located on the outside of your cubicle wall with sticky notes and a pen available so people can leave items and messages without interrupting you
• A small white board with pen for messages mounted on the outside of your cubicle wall
• Behavior modification - Avoid encouraging people to drop by and hang out. Some of the more common pitfalls are:
  
  • Keeping a candy jar on your desk
  • Posting cartoons on your bulletin board or at the entrance to your cubicle
  • Having your chair facing the entrance to your cubicle

• Communication - No matter what solution you choose as an individual or team, communication is essential. Conversations should occur around:

• What the current state is (i.e. too many interruptions leading to distraction and inability to complete work)
• What the possible solutions are (use some of the solutions above or create your own)
• Agreement on what steps you will take
• Reinforcement of boundaries

I'd like you to create the possibility of an effective work environment. With creativity and courage you can create an environment that supports you in getting your work completed and allows others to communicate with you effectively! Setting and maintaining your boundaries to support you and others in completing your objectives minimizes interruptions and leads to better work-life balance. Be bold, be courageous and Take Back Your Life!

About the author:
John Wittry, Executive Consultant
McGhee Productivity
www.McGheeProductivity.com

Labels: communication, priority, productivity, setting boundaries, time management, work life balance