Coping with distractions at workplace !

After leaving home, you have a clear work agenda outlined for the day. But once at office, things don't work as smoothly. You inevitably fall prey to unwanted distractions that consume your time, energy and concentration.

You receive phone calls from friends, text messages, e-mails and more. Besides these, you have may have to tackle a customer/ client crisis, co-workers who need your help or just want to chat or emergency meetings that disturb your schedule. Then, there's your boss who constantly wants updates for various projects.

Sounds familiar? Here are some tips on how to tackle workplace distractions and use your time at work more effectively:

e-mail

Access your e-mail only at certain times of the day. Doing it as your day begins will give you a headstart.

If at all possible, never touch the same e-mail twice. Avoid the tendency to go through the same mail again and again.

Do not open your mail unless you have time to read it and take some action on it, ie reply to it, delegate it, save it or delete it.

Create separate folders

Avoid a flooded inbox by creating separate folders for your boss, special projects, clients, colleagues, etc. Learn the Traffic Light principle:

Red folder: For mails from the boss, clients, projects that are on the verge of completion and deadlines that you need to meet.

Yellow folder: Meeting highlights or minutes can be placed in a yellow folder for your perusal at a later date. These are the types of things that can be read during free time, lunch, while backing up files, printing, etc.

Green folder: This can be your 'On the move' folder. Store all the mails, articles and presentations you will need to carry in the next meeting or a client review.

e-mail management tips

As far as possible, attach the old message when replying to an e-mail. Try using the 'Reply with history' option in your mail if available.

Quick tip: Don't provide your official e-mail ID to friends and do not send forwards to others on their official IDs as far as possible.

Online chat

There are several service providers who provide online chat services (also known chat clients). Rediffbol, Yahoo Messenger, MSN, AOL, etc, are some of the popular ones.

Remember that co-workers, customers or supervisors may be nearby, so be tactful in your conversations.

Use chat only for business communication. When you don't want to be interrupted, you can use the following options:

Select the 'Away' option
Select the 'Busy' option
Appear offline ie you can only see who all are online but cannot chat with anyone.

Phone calls

If friends or spouse often call you 'just to say Hi', then start by informing them of your work timings. Give them a convenient time to call you like, say, later in the evening unless it is very urgent.

Don't give your cell number to everyone

You must aim at keeping your number as private as possible.

Limit the number of incoming calls by distributing your number to fewer people.

Provide your cell phone number only to select work-related people: business contacts, clients, the boss and fellow employees.

SMS

This is a necessary evil that comes with the convenience of having a cell phone.

Don't reply to jokes or forwarded messages and, soon, you will stop getting them from your friends. Your attempt to be polite may be costing you an extra hour at work everyday. Not worth it!

If it's not a forward, do you need to reply immediately? Not really. If it's an emergency, you would have received a phone call for sure.

This is for the benefit of those around you: Deactivate the SMS ring tone and just put it on silent. You may like it but it can be quite irritating for others to listen to the same Himesh Reshammiya track or a baby gurgling every time you receive an SMS.