From the course: Administrative Professional Tips

Managing interruptions

From the course: Administrative Professional Tips

Managing interruptions

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- How many times during the day do you find yourself getting interrupted? Are the interruptions urgent matters or something that can wait? How long do you think it takes you to get back on track after you have been interrupted. As administrative support professionals, we find ourselves being interrupted many times throughout the day. Those interruptions can come in the form of phone calls, office visits, priority emails, or an irate customer who needs attention immediately. What is the best way to handle these inevitable distractions with grace and ease while continuing to be productive? Well I'm glad you asked. Here are some tips to do so. First, break down your time into focused blocks on your calendar. Set aside a specific amount of time, either one hour or two, to work on a priority task. For example, I may work on cleaning out my inbox from eight to 10 a.m. in the morning. This is the only thing I'm scheduled to do during this time. If any non-urgent emails come through during that period, I don't read them until my two hours are up. I allow my calls to go to voicemail whenever possible. If I can close my office door, I do that as well. If a critical interruption must occur, I handle it quickly and then get back to what I was working on. It's easier to refocus my attention back on the task, as this was the one thing I was working on. Also learn to separate urgent matters from important ones. The urgent matters need to be handled right away or they may cause a detrimental effect on my executive or the business in general. Important matters need to be dealt with expeditiously, but can normally be scheduled. Often the person who does the interrupting labels the item as urgent when in reality it's important and can wait until I am finished working on the task at hand. It's up to me to make this determination and ensure all matters are handled professionally. Finally, to support your executive. Keep a sufficient buffer of time in their schedule for the things you are certain will arise. For example, if I book back-to-back meetings for my boss, and there is a situation that she has to deal with, meetings will become backed up and some may even need to be canceled. That will result in my having to do additional work in rescheduling. Managing interruptions is a necessary part of our jobs as administrative support professionals. Throughout our day we are consistently prioritizing the various situations that we will encounter. By having a plan in advance, we will lower our frustrations and meet each interruption as an opportunity to skillfully manage our time and emotions.

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