Life Of E's

Implement the following ideas to avoid letting the telephone “steal” your time (and of course, it’s not the “telephone” that is stealing your time, now is it?)

1. Don’t answer the phone. If you are doing something that has your attention, don’t pick up the phone. Let your machine or voice mail pick it up. We often let ringing phones interrupt us at times that we would never let a person interrupt us.
2. If you *do* answer your phone, set a timer that will go off after a designated amount of time. If it’s audible, it lets you and the caller hear it.
3. Have an egg timer by your phone. This is just to let you know the amount of time that has passed. There’s nothing audible…it just gives you a sense of the amount of time that is passing as you are on the phone.
4. Tell the truth. If someone calls and you are right in the midst of something, say that. If you have been on the phone longer than you can afford, tell the person that. Be honest.

5. At the beginning of a phone call, tell your caller that you have about 10 minutes, or whatever is the amount of time that you can devote to the call.

   And here’s a bonus:  When you do answer the phone, say, “Hello, Meggin McIntosh here (or probably, better to use your own name). How can I help you today?”  This lets the other person know you are ready to help and you are ready to get right to it. 

   For more information on how to be more productive, visit: http://meggin.com/GetMoreProductive.php

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Tags: interrruptions, telephone, time thieves