by Shaheen Darr

Created on: November 14, 2009   Last Updated: December 24, 2009

Working in a busy office means you face constant interruptions, which can make you lose focus and affect the way you work. Here are some effective ways of handling interruptions so that neither your working relationships nor your work schedules get affected in the process.

Assertiveness: A quality that is difficult to implement when friendly work colleagues are involved but one that is necessary to let them know you are busy. If there is a pile of work sitting on the desk but a colleague refuses to stop talking about her personal life, you have to be firm and tell her you have work to do and excuse yourself to do it. By adopting the right body language or words, you can convey the message to those around that you are busy and do not want to be disturbed.

Communication: It helps to be honest and straightforward about how much you have to do and how interruptions are not helping. By being silent and not saying anything, colleagues will assume you have the time to gossip or talk about other matters not related to work. If not stopped in time this could turn into a regular occurrence as people will start to offload their problems to you whenever they feel the need. This can lead to work related stress, as your true feelings are not being aired openly and you cannot complete your work on time as expected of you.

Do not disturb: If you are a manager going through constant interruptions, shut your office door to let the other office members know you do not want to be disturbed. If necessary, put a "do not disturb" sign outside your office and announce your intention to others in the office that you are going to be busy for a while unless an urgent work matter needs discussing. This is one way of sending the message that it is your time to work and others have to wait until you have completed what needs to be done. Gradually they will come to accept that there are times you do not want to be disturbed and respect your privacy.

Delegate: Running a department means there are times your advice will be required in matters, which might be urgent in nature. The ability to assess the priority of the interruption is important for a manager or supervisor so that pressing problems can be resolved. If you are busy doing something else, pass the matter on to someone else in the department who can be of assistance. Rescheduling meetings and asking people to come back to you later is another way of completing your own tasks in hand and not appearing aloof or unhelpful to others around you.

Prioritise: Leave your telephone on answer phone so that messages can be left. This will give you some time to complete your important tasks before returning the call. Let someone else in the office answer the phone and take messages on your behalf when you are busy. Sending emails in bulk at a time when all other work has been completed is another way of keeping in touch and not being inundated with too many tasks all at one time.

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