When someone comes into your office or approaches you to ask for a “favor,” or begins with “Can you just…,” this is how I advise you to proceed:
- Establish a set of actions that you can designate for every possible interruption.
- Now triage: Decide what you will deal with immediately (the true, firefighting moments that just can’t wait), what you will pick up at the next opportunity, and what can wait a little longer.
- When people come in to see you, get to the point as quickly as you can so you can triage appropriately. If the tasks can wait, ask them to come back later, tell them you will nd them later, ask them to send you an email, or direct them to another staff member.
- Don’t let them hover in the doorway, or worse, park themselves in your office giving you the full spiel of what they’ve done, where they’ve been, and what they’ve tried already. By hearing them out but firmly guiding them to the point, you ensure that everyone feels they have been heard, that you’re available to deal with anything critical, and that the nonurgent items can be redirected as appropriate.
Teaching people to take ownership of nonurgent issues can be powerful; over time, you’re training them to solive their own problems.
Teaching people to take ownership of nonurgent issues can be powerful; over time, you’re training them to solve their own problems. It’s also helpful if you need to break the same habit that I suffered from for longer than I care to remember: taking everything on and saying yes to things on the bounce. As I train others to solve their own problems, I’m solving my own as well.
Ultimately, if you’re polite yet direct and consistently apply this method, you’re training people to be more respectful of your time—as well as maintaining your sanity.
Here are some useful triage phrases to get you started:
- “Of course, I’ll look at this in more detail and let you know when I can accomplish it.”
- “I’m working on something else at the moment, but I’ll ask one of my team members to look at this and get back to you if more information is needed.”
- Depending on who is asking, and what the task is, you might say, “What would you like me to do first?” or “I’ll check this out with the head and see how he (she) would like me to deal with it.”
- “I can see why you’ve asked me about this, but it’s actually someone else’s responsibility. I’ll pass it on (you should pass it on).”
- “I have a number of deadlines right now; if you leave this with me, I just can’t get it done in the time you’ve specified. If it can wait, that’s great. If not, it might be quicker to do it yourself or ask someone else.”
- “From what you’ve said, I’m not exactly clear about what’s involved. Can you please explain it to me in more detail so I can prioritize accordingly?” This response is particularly useful for the drive-by— the person who mumbles something unintelligible, drops a file on your desk like a bomb, then hotfoots it out of the room.
You don’t need to go into the office and suddenly announce your new boundaries. You don’t need to start shouting “no” to everyone who crosses your path. You don’t need to become a whole new person overnight. Start with this plan, try out some of these phrases, and see how you feel.
By doing so, you are educating others about your boundaries. The more consistent you are, the more those around you will gradually learn and start thinking before they ask you for something, making the whole process a little less scary and a lot more manageable.
You don’t need to become a whole new person overnight.
Remember, your time is valuable, you’re valuable, and you’ve got more than enough to do without taking on everyone else’s to-do lists too!