One of the dangers
of working from home
is people assume
you’re not truly working
and they interrupt you
throughout the day.
I’ve decreased interruptions
by posting my core hours
(9 to 5)
and announcing that
I’m ‘at work’ during that time.
I tell people to think of that time
as me being ‘off-site’,
at a client’s office.
I don’t answer my personal phone.
I rarely answer emails.
I don’t run errands
or do anything personal
during this time.
“Interrupted too frequently?
This one’s most common among
executives, managers
and people who work from home.
Every time you’re about to get started,
somebody knocks on your door
/calls with an emergency
/asks for help with the kids.
The solution is to schedule work time
where your productivity is sacrosanct.
Fix it by:
Announcing “do not disturb” hours
to people in your environment
Closing your door,
or sliding a chair
into your cubicle entrance
Leaving a voice mail greeting
announcing your unavailability,
then turning off your phone
Committing to avoiding
email or social media
until you’ve made real progress
on your critical tasks”
Consider posting core hours
during which
you can’t be disturbed.