Interruption Management

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Stay Focused and Win - Interruption Management

When you're besieged by information on a continual basis, you begin to feel overwhelmed, which leads to the feeling of over-work and stress, and decreased concentration.

When you eliminate a lot of the extraneous information and distractions that make their way to you, you will not feel as over-worked or overwhelmed. Get off mailing lists, drop most subscriptions, and avoid extraneous information whenever you can.

Labels: concentration, extraneous information, focus, information overload, junk mail, overwork, stress

Friday, July 06, 2018

Rules Can Impede Progress - Interruption Management

Once a rule gets in place it's difficult to eliminate it even though the original reasons for its generation are long gone, according to author Roger von Oech. His prime example:

In the 1870s the leading manufacturer of typewriters at the time received complaints that too many of the typewriter keys were sticking together if the operator went too fast. In response to this, the company produced the QWERTY type keyboard -- a configuration standard on all keyboards -- to slow down operators so that the keys wouldn't jam together.

Today, technology permits us to produce typewriter keyboards that can operate much faster than any human could possibly type, but the QWERTY configuration still dominates and likely will for the foreseeable future.

The nugget for us all: introduce new rules, new regulations, and new procedures carefully, and monitor their long term effectiveness.

Labels: conformity, effectiveness, impede, regulation, rules, von Oech

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Driving Distracted? - Interruption Management

Eleven years ago... and the problem remains: NBC Channel 10 in Philadelphia reported that "New Jersey legislators pushed forward a plan to make it illegal to text message while driving. The Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee voted unanimously to release the proposal after several legislators admitted frequently firing off text messages while behind the wheel, even though they know doing so is dangerous."

"Assemblyman Paul Moriarty acknowledges doing it himself, but he's not proud of it. 'It's very, very dangerous,' he said. Citing that risk, the Democratic assemblyman wants to stop motorists from sending text messages while driving."

"'It's more dangerous than talking on a cell phone because I believe you can keep your eyes on the road when talking on a cell phone,' Moriarty said. That's not the case when typing and sending text messages, he said. 'I only assume they're using their knees to drive,' Moriarty said."

Labels: car accident, cell phone, driving, freedom, government regulation, insanity, madness, safety, text messaging, traffic

Friday, June 22, 2018

Noteworthy Career Resources - Interruption Management

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$175 worth of Jeff’s best CDs and Audio Books:
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[ ] Creating a Brilliant Book Outline (BSI, 53 minutes, $15.95)

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Labels: adult education, books, CDs, learning, productivity, resources, self-help

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Handle Information with Tickler Files - Interruption Management

If you're overwhelmed by what crosses your desk, it's worth considering the benefits of having a file folder for each month of the year and a file folder for each day of the month. This idea, the "tickler file," system has been in practice for years.

Create a file for days 1-31 of the month, and place it at the front of one of your file drawers. Behind that, have a file for each month of the year. If it's the second day of the month, for example, but you receive something that you won't need to deal with until the 15th, then put it in the file for, say, the 13th to allow yourself some slack. If anything comes in that you don't need to handle now, put it in your tickler file. This yields some immediate benefits. It keeps your desk clear and eliminates a lot of worry about where things go.

As the days and months go by, you continually take files that were in front and put them in the back. Once you get this system in place, you'll find that many of the things you file may not need to be acted on later. The benefits of this system are immediate.

Labels: desk, files, folders, information management, organization

Monday, June 04, 2018

Internet Addiction? - Interruption Management

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine concluded that more than one of every eight U.S. residents shows at least one sign of "problematic Internet use." The findings of this survey were consistent with those of previous, less rigorous studies.

Labels: addiction, coping, family, internet addiction, mental health, technology, web

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Manage Information with Helpers - Interruption Management

When you have good help on board, your ability to manage information increases. For example one young lady who has helped me in various capacities is a conscientious worker who gets the job done. She reads instruction guides and tells me the handful of things I need to know, registers me for certain sites, handles inquiries, and keeps information organized.

Among 100's of her peers who I have known, she is among the best of the best! She is a self-starter who stays focused on the task at hand, which frees me to focus on speaking and writing. When I need to tackle a tough information-laden project, with my helper on my side, I have a lot going for me. With her broad-based education, determination, and grit, she is destined to be a leader in her field. So, look for the greater helpers of the world of the world and watch your ability to manage information and communication-related tasks grow.

Labels: helpers, information, productivity, students