Originally published at TheFieryWell.com in October of 2022, The Pomodoro® Primer for Magic Makers article has been updated and broken up over a series of posts for The Coworking Coven. This is the fourth article of the series.
A spell for handling interruptions
Not all interruptions are created equal!
There are internal interruptions:
- that sudden good idea,
- that sudden urge to check Twitter,
- that thing you remembered from last week that you forgot about,
- the need to go to the bathroom,
- a sudden desire to make a coffee or grab a snack, etc.
And there are external interruptions:
- a phone call,
- a text or Tweet notification,
- a child begging for more juice,
- a pet whining to go outside,
- a co-worker wanting to chat at the water-cooler (aka your desk),
- your boss coming over to check if you got the email he sent five minutes ago and to discuss, etc.
Write everything down
The Pomodoro® Technique gives you a system for interruptions. An effective system begins with observation.
As you begin your journey with the Pomodoro® Technique, begin noting down the interruptions as they arise. Don’t let your brain linger on them. Put them someplace!
This aids in keeping the focus on your Pomodoro® and tasks. It also tracks what interruptions come up, when, and how often. And how you respond to them.
This allows a system to emerge naturally if you do not have one already.
Effectively handling interruptions requires having an actionable process for them before they arise. This takes time. For a long while this will be a back-and-forth cycle of tracking interruptions, resolving the interruptions, and developing repeatable methods to combat them. Having that growing list of responses and how to handle each will ultimately reduce the decision fatigue of “what do I say here? how do I respond to something like this?”
Systematize and automate yourself.
Remember, systems are a spell.
A spell to let people know you’ll be a.w.a.y.
I like to let those around me know I will be A.W.A.Y. while working. It’s a handy acronym for the following steps I take before working:
Aware – Make those around you aware that you will be unavailable.
When – Let those around you know the date and time you are unavailable so anything that comes up will need to be scheduled later. Provide a link to your time scheduler and allow them to schedule an appointment with you for a later, focused, time.
Assign – If what you’re interrupted with is beyond your scope of work, it is assigned, or delegated to someone else. (Keep that running list of tasks that pop up and who can handle them best.)
Yes – These are the interruptions you will allow and say “yes” to, and abandon the Pomodoro. Emergencies, celebrations, etc.
Clear boundaries and expressed expectations benefit everyone – not just you!
Next up, let’s cast a spell that will help us choose what tasks to do during our Pomodoros. Or during any working session, for that matter!