Throughout the workday, you are bombarded by distractions and interruptions. It’s amazing you get anything accomplished. You have to create rules for engagement with your team members.
You might set aside 2 hours between 9 and 11 a.m. as “focused time” where you cannot be interrupted for any reason. When a team member ignores your rule and interrupts you during your focused time, there’s only one response: “That’s a ‘No’” (a phrase coined by law firm management leader, Melissa Shanahan, of Velocity Works in Denver, Colorado). You will not accept any interruptions, unless a family member was just sent to the emergency room. If you do not enforce these rules of engagement, no one will.
Empowering Your Team Members with Focused Time
Your team members should also have the power of focused time, where there will be no interruptions or distractions. Let your team members know that they can have a “focused” morning, afternoon or the whole day. Your team members can’t complain that they don’t have enough time, because you’re empowering them to set aside focused time for their most important work.
Lin McCraw, Esq. in McKinney, Texas, has a unique solution. Lin rarely goes to the office and instead works from home. Lin trusts his team members and is highly productive working from home. You’ve got to try this!
Thank you to Melissa Shanahan, Lin McCraw, Esq. and Chris Nicolaysen, Esq. for these productivity tips.
