Friday, June 15, 2007
How to handle interruptions in your small business
In the last post we talked about how to find time to work ON your business, taking the time to improve your business so the number of problems are reduced.
We suggested that by doing that strategic work the first thing of the day, you would have the time and the energy to improve your business, instead of waiting until the end of the day, and being too tired or not having the time to improve your business.
In order to be able to work ON your business the first thing of the day, you need to have an important attitude change. This attitude is about setting priorities and how to handle interruptions.
Priority #1: Fixing your business
As a small business owner you know the importance of customers, sales and cash flow. If you are afraid that taking time to work ON your business will take away from customers, sales and cash flow, then you have to change your thinking.
The trick we like to teach small business owners involves the concept of a leaky boat. You can even imagine a big cruise ship if it helps you get a better understanding of this.
Image your business is a boat, carrying many passengers (your customers) from an island (their problems) to the mainland (your solutions).
But alas, there is a problem! Your boat has a leak and it is in danger of sinking! So even though your passengers are asking for drinks with little umbrellas, suntan lotion, or they have a plugged toilet problem, you still have to do the most important thing first. You have to fix the leak in the boat! Otherwise the boat will sink and none of that other stuff they are asking for will matter.
The problem in your business can be large or small, but it surely won't fix itself. It needs you, the business owner, to fix it. That means you have to put everything else on hold while you focus on fixing the problem.
Fearing Mutiny
Now you may think that your customers will all get mad at you if you are not responding to their emails or phone calls immediately, but they won't. Because you will be able to explain to them that you had an emergency to take care of. Everyone can relate to that, because everyone has had emergencies before.
So block out time first thing in the morning to work ON your business, and don't let anything interrupt you. Even if it is only for 1 hour each day, by the end of a week, you will have spent 5 hours working ON your business, which is probably more time than you've taken in the previous month.
Turn off your ringer, send it to voice mail
For your voice mail, leave a message like this "Hi this is [name]. Today is [date]. Sorry I can't take your call immediately, I am trying to fix another emergency this morning. Please leave me a detailed message and I will try to return your call as soon as possible.
By changing the date of this message every morning, and adding the word "another", you add validity to your situation that everyone can relate to and understand. You can also throw in some wording about how your fast growing business is going "crazy", and you really appreciate their understanding and being patient while you work on improving your service. This gives them the benefit that you are growing, and that you are working on improving the service that you give to them.
Don't open your email yet!
For your email, don't open your email software until AFTER you have finished working ON your business. If you absolutely must open your email to retrieve or send something, be manic about NOT opening anything new in your inbox.
You need to have the discipline to NOT open your new email while in the middle of your work. We find the trick to this is to IMAGINE INTENSE FEELINGS OF PAIN FROM A PAPER CUT as you open the email message. If that doesn't work, light your fingers on fire before you click your mouse. It is REALLY THAT IMPORTANT to develop this discipline, or else you will never be happy.
Take Instant Messaging offline!
Turn off your instant messaging program too, so you won't be interrupted nor distracted by seeing pop-ups of who is coming online.
Closed Door Policy
Put a sign on your door that says "Do No Disturb between 8 am til 9 am" and close the door. Change the times to reflect the time that you are working. A dry erase board works well for this purpose.
Prevent Interruptions before they happen
So our advice on how to handle interruptions is to prevent them before they happen. But if they do sneak through and actually interrupt you, you always have the option to frantically say "I'm in the middle of an emergency and I can't handle this right now, I'll get back to you later".
Seriously, try it for one day, and realize that the sky is not falling and you are not going to die. Then try it the next day, and the next, for an entire week. Then see how you are able to improve your business by dedicating the first hour of every day to working ON your business.
As always, we invite your comments...
We suggested that by doing that strategic work the first thing of the day, you would have the time and the energy to improve your business, instead of waiting until the end of the day, and being too tired or not having the time to improve your business.
In order to be able to work ON your business the first thing of the day, you need to have an important attitude change. This attitude is about setting priorities and how to handle interruptions.
Priority #1: Fixing your business
As a small business owner you know the importance of customers, sales and cash flow. If you are afraid that taking time to work ON your business will take away from customers, sales and cash flow, then you have to change your thinking.
The trick we like to teach small business owners involves the concept of a leaky boat. You can even imagine a big cruise ship if it helps you get a better understanding of this.
Image your business is a boat, carrying many passengers (your customers) from an island (their problems) to the mainland (your solutions).
But alas, there is a problem! Your boat has a leak and it is in danger of sinking! So even though your passengers are asking for drinks with little umbrellas, suntan lotion, or they have a plugged toilet problem, you still have to do the most important thing first. You have to fix the leak in the boat! Otherwise the boat will sink and none of that other stuff they are asking for will matter.
The problem in your business can be large or small, but it surely won't fix itself. It needs you, the business owner, to fix it. That means you have to put everything else on hold while you focus on fixing the problem.
Fearing Mutiny
Now you may think that your customers will all get mad at you if you are not responding to their emails or phone calls immediately, but they won't. Because you will be able to explain to them that you had an emergency to take care of. Everyone can relate to that, because everyone has had emergencies before.
So block out time first thing in the morning to work ON your business, and don't let anything interrupt you. Even if it is only for 1 hour each day, by the end of a week, you will have spent 5 hours working ON your business, which is probably more time than you've taken in the previous month.
Turn off your ringer, send it to voice mail
For your voice mail, leave a message like this "Hi this is [name]. Today is [date]. Sorry I can't take your call immediately, I am trying to fix another emergency this morning. Please leave me a detailed message and I will try to return your call as soon as possible.
By changing the date of this message every morning, and adding the word "another", you add validity to your situation that everyone can relate to and understand. You can also throw in some wording about how your fast growing business is going "crazy", and you really appreciate their understanding and being patient while you work on improving your service. This gives them the benefit that you are growing, and that you are working on improving the service that you give to them.
Don't open your email yet!
For your email, don't open your email software until AFTER you have finished working ON your business. If you absolutely must open your email to retrieve or send something, be manic about NOT opening anything new in your inbox.
You need to have the discipline to NOT open your new email while in the middle of your work. We find the trick to this is to IMAGINE INTENSE FEELINGS OF PAIN FROM A PAPER CUT as you open the email message. If that doesn't work, light your fingers on fire before you click your mouse. It is REALLY THAT IMPORTANT to develop this discipline, or else you will never be happy.
Take Instant Messaging offline!
Turn off your instant messaging program too, so you won't be interrupted nor distracted by seeing pop-ups of who is coming online.
Closed Door Policy
Put a sign on your door that says "Do No Disturb between 8 am til 9 am" and close the door. Change the times to reflect the time that you are working. A dry erase board works well for this purpose.
Prevent Interruptions before they happen
So our advice on how to handle interruptions is to prevent them before they happen. But if they do sneak through and actually interrupt you, you always have the option to frantically say "I'm in the middle of an emergency and I can't handle this right now, I'll get back to you later".
Seriously, try it for one day, and realize that the sky is not falling and you are not going to die. Then try it the next day, and the next, for an entire week. Then see how you are able to improve your business by dedicating the first hour of every day to working ON your business.
As always, we invite your comments...
Labels: Time Management, Working ON the business
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