There’s nothing more frustrating than carefully planning out your day, only to get derailed by unexpected interruptions and urgent requests. It happens to everyone—and can be enough to discourage you from making any plans at all. Clients bring this frustration up all the time–from the Manager who keeps trying to work on their strategic plan but gets derailed all day long with people issues to people working from home who find family members stopping by to chat, solve household problems, or just say hello.
Instead of giving up on planning altogether, the key is to recognize that not one hundred percent of your day is in your control. The solution is to factor in what I call your Daily Interruption Ratio- what percentage of your day needs to be left open for the inevitable interruptions that really do need to be handled the same day. By factoring in the reality, you can plan your days realistically and avoid having your best-laid plans derailed.
Here are three steps for shaping your day to handle same-day requests with grace.
Calculate Your Daily Interruption Ratio
Each type of job allows for a different ratio of planning –in other words, how much of your day can be proactive (i.e. planned tasks) and how much is reactive (i.e. unplanned tasks). Keep a log for a week or so to determine the average time you lose to interruptions each day—noting who, what, and how you get interrupted and whether each interruption was truly urgent or could have waited. For example, an executive assistant might have a 90/10 daily interruption ratio, in that they can only control 10% of their day, and 90% of their day needs to be left open for same-day requests. A middle manager might be closer to a 50/50 or 70/30 ratio. In other words, they can proactively dedicate 50-70% of their day for to-do’s and meetings but need to leave the remainder of their day open to handle the last-minute questions and needs of their direct reports.
Block “Interruption Time” into your Calendar
Once you know your daily interruption ratio, preserve the appropriate amount of time into your schedule each day. Literally, leave a block of time unplanned. By building in time for the predictable and unpredictable, you can handle them with open arms (and outer grace) because you have already set aside the time. You waste no time having to rearrange your overpacked schedule to make room for the unexpected. I can’t tell you how many clients have found this one act to be the greatest unlock, where they shifted from hoping that no one would interrupt them all day so they could stick to their plan to, “Oh, interruptions are part of my job. Why don't I actually leave space for them?”
Filter interruptions as they come
Once you have the space blocked off, you are ready to filter interruptions as they come in. The first question to ask of every interruption is, when do you need this by? Remember, just because someone asks you for something the moment it occurs to them doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a crisis! Some issues are urgent, but most can wait. Manage issues that must be handled that day to your “open” time in your schedule, and defer others to s for upcoming days that work for you and that person. On most occasions, people are fine waiting, especially if you get back to them when you say you will.
When you plan for the predictable and unpredictable and give appropriate space in your day, interruptions become much less irritating, and you find yourself less frustrated, all while being more patient and productive. Define your daily interruption ratio, block that time in your calendar, and balance the proactive with the reactive. This allows you to plan your days more realistically and feel more in control of your work.