In today’s world, however, there are more ways to stop somebody’s thought flow than ever before. Besides the casual popping by your desk or workspace, interrupters instant message, e-mail, text and call you, sometimes simultaneously.
Petra Neiger shares facts about the impact of frequent workplace interruptions and some ideas to reclaim your power over interruptions. Consider this: our attention span went from 12 seconds in 2000 to just eight seconds in 2013, ranking us lower than a goldfish.
Source: Training, November 20, 2017.
Although modern office spaces have privacy rooms, providing physical spaces is not enough. We need to create habits that make people feel comfortable tuning out for a while to focus. And as the one interrupted, we need to realize we have more power over disruptions than we may think.
INSIGHTS: Just because someone looks up at you or answers your text doesn’t mean you have his or her full attention. Think before you interrupt. Ask yourself if the question really urgent?