Most likely, this is your problem

The ding, the beep, the buzz. You’re all too familiar with these time-suckers.

But even more distracting can be…the people.

AmIright??

The people you work with, the people in your company, the people in your family.

Their constant interruptions throw you off focus and into the rabbit hole of their needs.

A couple of my faves:

“Do you have a minute?”

Or…

“Can I bother you for a sec?”

I mean who’s going to say “No. I don’t have one second. Beat it!”

Not you. You’re helpful. You’re collaborative. And you’re not a meanie.

Buuuuuuttt…you know all too well that these tiny interruptions totally derail you from what you know you should be doing.

A simple “minute” or “sec” leads to a 17-minute conversation and 8 more to-dos on your list.

While what you were originally working on takes a back seat until “later” (and who knows when you’ll find the time for that).

I hear about similar situations all the time.

• In a recent training, I was asked what to do when you work in an open space surrounded by loud conversations.
• On a coaching call, my client was wondering what to do when her team members ask if they can “run something by her” right smack in the middle of her work.
• My son told me that his friend keeps FaceTiming while he’s trying to study, and he doesn’t know how to make him stop.

To all of these, I have ONE solution.

And it’s probably much easier than you think.

TELL THE TRUTH.

There’s nothing like a dose of good ole’ honest communication to take control of people-distractions.

Here are the two messages you want to include when you’re communicating truthfully.

#1: Why staying focused is important to you.

#2: Why staying focused is important to them.

Here’s what that might sound like:

“Hey, since we’re in an open space sometimes when you’re talking to {insert name of colleauge} I can’t focus and I fall behind on my stuff. And then I’m cranky because I can’t get out of here on time. Would you mind keeping it down or maybe have your long conversations in the break room? I’ll be much nicer to you if I can get out before 5 o’clock!”

Or…

“Actually I barely have a {minute/second} because I’m under a tight deadline and I have to focus. If I’m late my {boss/wife/colleage} might {fire me/divorce me/hate me}. 😉 Would it be okay if we talked about this {later today/this afternoon/a time when we’re both free}? That way, I’ll be way less stressed and can completely focus on what you need.”

Or…

“I’d love to {help you/look at that/work with you} but I’ve been having a hard time focusing lately and I’m trying my best to get better at it. Unless this is absolutely urgent, could we talk about this {later today/this afternoon/a time when we’re both free}? That way, I can give you my full attention.”

Or… (in my son’s case)…

“Dude, I have so much studying to do and I’ve got to ace this test, or I’m not making Honor Roll. Can you stop buzzing in so I can finish faster? I’ll let you know when I’m done so we can {talk/play video games/make fart sounds} the rest of the night. Cool?”

Honesty is the best policy.

State why it’s important to you followed by the benefit to them.

Keeping it light-hearted doesn’t hurt either.

By the way, these types of challenges all stem from a lack of boundaries.

Boundaries are the #1 issue my clients face, (even though they usually think it’s something else — THIS is what’s holding back their success).

If you feel anxious or guilty about setting boundaries, remember, you suffer when you’re unhappy and so do others.

Once you get practice setting boundaries, you’ll be all like “oh, this is how people get so much more done.”

You receive more respect from others and your relationships get better too. (Picture less anxiety, resentment, and guilt).

If respecting your time is a chronic issue for you then talking this through could be a major turning point for your life and/or career.

If you’d like guidance on the how by someone who’s literally helped hundreds of other women do the same…schedule a FREE session with me here.

Most of the people I partner with are losing oodles of time and sanity because they unknowingly lack boundaries.

We shall fix that pronto. And we’ll have fun with it too.

To your endless success,

XO
Mridu