Shampoo on Your Toothbrush
I was in the middle of working on a very thought-intensive project when I had to stop and hurry to get ready to catch a flight. While getting ready I nearly put toothpaste on my razor, and caught myself putting shampoo on my toothbrush.
No, I’m not going senile! My mind was still on my project instead of brushing my teeth.
While human hands and bodies appear to be capable of ‘multi-tasking’ the mind functions at its peak when focused on one task. That’s why your old ‘open door policy’ doesn’t work. Invariably someone will come into your office, interrupt your concentration on an important project and you’ll feel obligated to answer their seemingly mundane question in a misguided attempt to make them feel important.
While your intentions are good, your open door policy is not fair to you or them.
The once-held sacred belief in the value of the ‘open door policy’ was established when all of us had assistants, more staff, and less tasks to complete in a given day.
Inevitably, while in the midst of another thought process, you’ll put shampoo on your toothbrush….giving the person who came through your ‘open door’ an off the cuff answer because your mind did not have time to switch gears.
We’ve all said to ourselves in hindsight “There was a much better answer to that question had I had the time to focus on it.” And then, to make the interruption worse, it takes you ten minutes to get your head back into what you were working on! (Actually the neurological research reveals you will waste between 2 and 11 minutes trying to refocus properly).
But your people, and their questions, are important. So here’s the solution to help you not lose focus on your important projects, and to give the questions you are asked the attention they deserve.
Have, and stick to, regularly scheduled one-on-ones when you can focus on the questions you are asked. Then regularly practice the ENS Media Inc magic phrase when someone interrupts you; “This is important to me. Can it wait until our regularly scheduled one-on-one so I can give it the attention it deserves?”
This process will create one of three results;
1.) Your people will learn to expect you to ask if their question can wait, and they’ll eventually have a lot fewer ‘urgent’ questions, placing them on the agenda for your one-on-one.
2.) More often than not, empowered people will find the answers on their own without interrupting you.
3.) You will give your people, and their questions, the full attention they deserve
There is probably a better solution than putting shampoo on your toothbrush.
No, I’m not going senile! My mind was still on my project instead of brushing my teeth.
While human hands and bodies appear to be capable of ‘multi-tasking’ the mind functions at its peak when focused on one task. That’s why your old ‘open door policy’ doesn’t work. Invariably someone will come into your office, interrupt your concentration on an important project and you’ll feel obligated to answer their seemingly mundane question in a misguided attempt to make them feel important.
While your intentions are good, your open door policy is not fair to you or them.
The once-held sacred belief in the value of the ‘open door policy’ was established when all of us had assistants, more staff, and less tasks to complete in a given day.
Inevitably, while in the midst of another thought process, you’ll put shampoo on your toothbrush….giving the person who came through your ‘open door’ an off the cuff answer because your mind did not have time to switch gears.
We’ve all said to ourselves in hindsight “There was a much better answer to that question had I had the time to focus on it.” And then, to make the interruption worse, it takes you ten minutes to get your head back into what you were working on! (Actually the neurological research reveals you will waste between 2 and 11 minutes trying to refocus properly).
But your people, and their questions, are important. So here’s the solution to help you not lose focus on your important projects, and to give the questions you are asked the attention they deserve.
Have, and stick to, regularly scheduled one-on-ones when you can focus on the questions you are asked. Then regularly practice the ENS Media Inc magic phrase when someone interrupts you; “This is important to me. Can it wait until our regularly scheduled one-on-one so I can give it the attention it deserves?”
This process will create one of three results;
1.) Your people will learn to expect you to ask if their question can wait, and they’ll eventually have a lot fewer ‘urgent’ questions, placing them on the agenda for your one-on-one.
2.) More often than not, empowered people will find the answers on their own without interrupting you.
3.) You will give your people, and their questions, the full attention they deserve
There is probably a better solution than putting shampoo on your toothbrush.