Have You Got a Minute?



Learn Management Articles on management-info.biz. Have You Got a Minute? article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Such an innocuous little phrase, yet when you are hard at work, really focused and engrossed in what you are doing this seemingly harmless request can be a nightmare distraction.

“The average American has 50 interruptions a day, of which 70% have nothing to do with work” W. Edwards Deming

Interruptions are on of the main time stealers that get in the way of productivity. Whether it is phone, email or person generated, have you got a minute? can really break your concentration, affect your mood and make you feel irritated and frustrated.

Have you got a minute can so easily turn into 5, 15 or even 30 minutes and suddenly your day is behind schedule but, remember you let it happen. However, the good news is that it is within your control to do something about it. You can stop or at least manage these situations
Here are my top 5 tips for managing interruptions

1.If you work in your own office – close the door and put a notice on the outside saying please do not disturb until 2.30pm (or whatever time you will be finished doing what you are doing)
2.If you work in an open plan office, put a note on your desk or on top of your PC saying I need to concentrate, please do not disturb , then take it down when you are finished
3.If you need to have uninterrupted time each day, switch off your phone, close down your email and let your colleagues, boss and team know that for example, you do not want to be interrupted, plan meetings, chat etc every day between 8.30 and 9am
4.In response to the Have you got a minute? You can say
a.No
b.Not at the moment but if you come back in 30 minute I will have
c.I have a maximum of 5 minutes. What specifically do you want to speak to me about and is 5 minutes enough? If so go ahead. If not, suggest a more convenient time
d.Tell me what you specifically want to talk to me about and then I’ll tell you whether now is a good time to discuss it
5.Educate your colleagues, team, boss to do all of the above and respect their wishes too. This helps create good habits all round


Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81



More Articles:


1. The Three-Dimensional Communication System By Andrew E. Schwartz
Human communication is always three-dimensional. No spoken or written message is ever just words or rational thoughts. Every interchange between you and another person has and takes place at the following three intimately related levels, or dimensions, of being: emotional, physical, and rational. Any attempt to communicate will succeed if all of these dimensions are adhered to. Knowledge of this three-dimensional nature is the foundation of training. You can’t get much closer to real understan…

2. The Power of the Contract in Performance Management By Allan Mackintosh
An essential step in managing the performance of salespeople is that of establishing a sound and agreed contract between manager and the salesperson. A contract in this context is simply an agreement between the manager and the salesperson as to how best they are going to work together. It is a chance for each party to outline expectations, hopes and fears and is a superb opportunity for both the manager and salesperson to fully understand each other in terms of personality style, motivators a…

3. Why You Should Hold One More Meeting By Kevin Eikenberry
If you are completely happy with where you and your business currently are then you can stop here. If growth and change aren’t something you have any interest in, there is no need for you to read any further.I’m serious. You can move on.But if you do think there are new opportunities to explore, if you do think that there are ways to improve your results, then read on. I’m going to show you how scheduling a new meeting periodically can help make that happen.That’s right, a meeting.The Idea …

4. Employee Turnover: Is It Eating Up Your Profits? By Marcia Zidle
Keeping the cost of doing business down, yet providing a quality product or service, is one of the most critical components of success for today’s leader. What many fail to realize is that employee turnover can represent a very substantial price tag to a company's productivity and its bottom line.Turnover is costly – just how costly? Research studies have shown that the cost of replacing a professional or managerial employee runs 1.5 to 3.0 times his or her annual salary. And it can cost up …