Look Out for Drop-In Visitor Time, Energy, & Attention Thieves!

The following tips will help you get people out of your office/workspace (and maybe even your home). If it turns out that you are the perpetrator, stop bothering people!

• Arrange your office/workspace wisely. Move your furniture so that you neither get nor make eye contact with people who randomly walk by. If people need you, they'll knock or call out your name – don’t worry.
• Remove "invitations" for people to stop by your workspace. If you put candy on your desk, that is an open invitation to others to come by, dig around in the candy, chat a bit, and generally interrupt you. Note: If you are one of the candy purveyors, it may even surprise you that sometimes the candy grabbers complain about what you do and don't have! The nerve of some people!! Whatever it is that you have been putting out for others, remove that jar, basket, box or whatever right now. When the regulars stop by, let them know that you've decided for the health and productivity of everyone in the office, you are no longer going to provide snacks at your desk. If anyone should have the chutzpah to suggest that you are a cheapskate, let them know you’re donating the money you used to spend on candy for the office to a local food bank. Or, you could tell them to buy their own d _ _ n candy. Depends on the day. ??
• Replace "How are you?" with "What can I help you with today?" Unless you are sitting around with nothing to do and are happy to just steal your salary from the company or organization (or yourself), the idea when you are at work is...to get work done. Shooting the breeze with a co-worker (which is invited with an opening question like, "How are you?") doesn't help either one of you get to work. "What can I help you with today?" gets the conversation going in the direction where you can assist the person with what he/she came by for. If the answer to that question is, "Oh, nothing. I was just dropping by” (or “coming by to hang out” – some people don’t even pretend that they have any other intention), then you can respond with, "Well, thanks. I better get back to work so I can get this project done/get home on time/earn my keep/check some key items off my to-do list" or whatever is the best phrase for you. 
• Explain to others that you are changing your ways. If you've gotten into a habit of allowing a person to steal your time ("Come on in. How are you?") on a regular basis; that is, whenever that person passes your door, use the next time you see him/her to explain briefly that you simply can't chat on company time in the future. If you want to socialize with people from work, set up a time to see them when you are "off the clock." 
• Close your door. Whether you have a door or not, when you need to indicate that you are in the middle of a project, put up a sign that says when you'll be available again. You are invited to access a number of these signs (all complimentary) at www.KeepingChaosatBay.com. Note: It may seem extreme to post a guard, but if you need to, then do that, too!
• Tell the truth. If you are busy, yet someone has interrupted you, stand immediately and gently usher him/her toward the door. If the interrupter says "are you busy?" say "Yes." That's all. Don't explain what you're doing or offer an apology for not having time for the interrupter. Keep it brief and professional.
• Praise the behavior you are seeking. If you are busy, but someone interrupts you with important/appropriate information, praise the person with that in mind: "Thank you so much for bringing me these reports, Jean. So often I get interrupted with unimportant information, but I really needed this. I appreciate it that you're only bringing me critical information this morning while I'm working on this project."
• If you have a home office, put out a sign that says you are working. Even small children can tell that the big picture of the clock (or some other symbol) means they can't disturb mom/dad unless it's very important. If they burst in anyway, immediately assign a chore that they must do (one of yours) to re-pay your lost time. My assistant holds out her hand for the $5 bill that her family members must present if they want to interrupt her (emergencies excepted, of course). Remember to praise the behavior you're seeking (see the previous tip) when they remember to wait until you are "off the clock."
• Learn to say "back to work!" and mean it. If the truth were known, there are times you might even hope for a drop-in visitor or maybe you are even the one dropping by others' work stations. Just say "back to work" either as a signal to others to move on — or to yourself to get going on your work. 

Oh, my. Some of these are tough ones. However, whether you can cite the statistics about how much time is wasted every day by drop-in visitors, you probably already know this fact based on your own work life. Help make your time and everyone else's more productive. Share this list. And get yourself some signs to post. https://KeepingChaosatBay.com – Free Downloads tab.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Time thieves are part of modern life (sad but true). You have the power to prevent such pilfering of your productivity. Now that you know the visitor time thieves to be watchful for, you're ready for even more strategies and ideas. This Get a Plan! Guide? will help you banish the burglars who threaten your productivity, professionalism, and peace of mind. It's a fun, practical, and strategic guide for those who value lives of peaceful, predictable productivity. And that's you!

About Meggin McIntosh

I’m a former university professor and administrator and am currently a coach, author, and workshop leader. People just like you, i.e., people who are overwhelmed and would prefer to be overjoyed instead, are the people I’m fortunate enough to attract and work with. I am thankful everyday. https://meggin.com