Are you constantly being taken away from your task at hand for “just a second” to assist with other projects? If your office space is anything like ours, open and collaborative, you may find it overwhelmingly easy to be interrupted. It’s Monday morning and a new project just hit your desk. All you need is some time with no interruption, but Dwight stops by to ask about your weekend, Pam wants to chat about the new logo and Jim would like you to proof his newsletter. Sound about right? In-house conversations are always wonderful, until you look at the clock and “just a second” has turned into a half an hour.
Let us offer you a quick fix to help you keep momentum on the task at hand. Welcome to the simple time block! At TLS Learning, we have put in place the “blocking time” rule. Pictured above is the infamous time block itself. Now, all you have to do is implement this rule and you will gain time back in an instant.
Rules for the block:
Orange means Free
- The signal stating you are all eyes and hears to take on last minute work.
- A physical sign for, “Feel free to add another meeting to my calendar”.
- You need me to work on a proposal? How about I work on all five proposals.
Blue means Busy
- The universal office sign for do not interrupt unless there is fire in the office.
- Take note of the force field around your co-worker and come back later.
- If you’re feeling generous, offer to relieve your co-worker of some tasks at hand.
Get the difference between the sides? See, easy. You may be wondering, why not just block time on your calendar and call it a day? Because people are not concerned with your calendar, and will continue to tap you on the shoulder. Make it is simple for them to peer into your cubicle or onto your desk and see your time block status. Relief, now you can conquer the day with ease.
Share with us ways in which you work distraction free throughout the day!
