I’ve written before about the cost of interruptions, but how do you prevent people from disrupting your work, especially in environments like open-plan offices or working-from-home?
You need to create a signal for those around you that you’re busy. But putting up a big “do not disturb” sign isn’t great for social etiquette.
The easiest signal you can use is wearing headphones or earphones. If you’re wearing them when someone approaches, they’ll typically wait to the side until you’re ready. And the more you link this pattern to your work, the more people will question whether they need to interrupt you at all or whether it could wait.
But what if you don’t like listening to music while you’re trying to work?
Well that’s the beauty of the headphones – you don’t need to be listening to music for this signal to work.
Of course, headphones aren’t appropriate for every environment, but you can get the same effect with any item. Just ensure that the item is visible to others when you’re in the zone.
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