A time-management survival guide

Jacob Weisberg, head of Trabuco Canyon, California-based Creative Communications, is a consultant specializing in communication skills.

When you have more demands on your time than you have time to give, you need a sure-fl re formula that will let you buy time from those people who constantly interrupt you.

Deborah J. Schwab, column editor, can be reached at Debbie_Schwab@cowlesbiz.com.

It'S considered by many to be our most precious resource: Time. The problem is, we just never seem to have enough of it. Deadlines batter us; colleagues urgently need our input; the publisher calls an unscheduled meeting; the art director wants approval for a layout. If only there were a way to control our time, manage our time--even buy some time.

That was the essence of a recent discussion held by an eclectic group of magazine professionals when right in the middle, someone barged into the room, held the floor for three minutes as he explained his plans for the evening to one person, and then left.

We all laughed. How ironic. Another example of lost time, an event we all face almost daily. Everyone in the group had suggestions about what to do. The first emphasis was on the rudeness of the other party, and there was agreement that he shouldn't have interrupted. There was also somewhat sheepish agreement that we had all been guilty of the same thing--so at least we discovered that there was a skill we needed to learn, i.e., how to enter a conversation. But that doesn't save us time, it saves "them."

So our next approach was to ask what we can do under these circumstances. The first rule seems to be "insulate" ourselves at critical times. If we're in the middle of a rush project, we must find a way to close the doors--literally or figuratively. One participant told of using masking tape to make an "X" across the entrance to her cubicle to prevent anyone from entering. She also places a note there to the effect of "Genius at work, come back at-- "and she names the time.

Although some in the group liked the idea, others found it impractical. Another suggestion was, "If you can't remove others from your office/location, then remove yourself. Do the work elsewhere." Again, this seemed acceptable to some, but not practical for others.

What everyone was searching for was a way to deal with the people who have found you, gotten through the barricades, and interrupted you. Yes, you can simply tell each and every one to go away, but that is very likely to leave a bad taste in the mouth. In fact, it may upset, annoy or anger them--and if they're on the staff, on the team, a part of the process, that's no way to build teamwork or cooperation.

So, the question came down to this: "Is it possible to buy time with these individuals, send them on their way, and still have them feeling good about themselves and about the working relationship in the office? Everyone in the group turned to me because I was supposed to be the expert, the one who had just given a management/communication seminar at the convention. And my answer was yes, you can buy time. It is a skill, consisting of four parts that must be used in sequence.

Start on a personal note

Because we know we are going to send someone away, we must begin by focusing on him or her to help that person feel good about the process. So start by saying his or her name. Saying the person's name serves a second purpose: It makes the person stop talking--which gives us the floor.

Next, we say something nice about the person. It might sound like, "Nancy, I'm so glad to see you." Another example, "Bob, I always appreciate your input." Still another example, "Jill, you're always a source of great ideas." It's usually possible to find something complimentary to say to the other person. And because we want to build relationships, not destroy them, we say it even if we aren't in the mood.

Steps one and two (name and something nice) form the groundwork of the formula. In essence, they validate the other person--which is something we must do because in a moment we move to step three, which is to send the person away. We begin this step by explaining our circumstances. It now sounds like, "Bob, I always appreciate your input, but I'm in the middle of a rush edit job." Another example: "Jill, you're always a source of great ideas, but I'm rushing to finish a proposal that I've got to fax to an agency."

At this point, the person has been acknowledged (we've said his or her name); the person's value has been reinforced (we've said something nice); and we have explained our circumstances. But you can't depend on the person to figure out that he or she should leave now. Instead, conclude by making an appointment.

In total, it sounds like this: "Bob, I always appreciate your input, but I'm in the middle of a rush edit job. I figure I'll be done with it around noon. I'll give you a call right after that." The other example: "Jill, you're always a source of great ideas, but I'm rushing to finish a proposal that I've got to fax to an agency. I still have about an hour left on the job. When I'm done, I'll check by your office. Okay?"

It doesn't work for everyone

Does this always stop all of them? Of course not. It satisfies the majority, and they will leave, secure in their relationship with us, understanding our urgent time constraints. Nonetheless, some will persist, saying, typically, "But this will only take a few minutes." We know that their "few minutes" is really an indeterminate amount of time. And that's the point: They have the time to spend right now; we don't.

So for these folks who persist, there are three options for us to consider:

1. Give up and listen, resent what they're doing to us, and pay the price by having our own work be late. Sadly, many if not most people do just that.

2. Repeat, firmly, the same message you've just given the person, except this time emphasize the power words. It sounds like this: "Bob, I always appreciate your input, but I'm in the middle of a rush edit job. I figure I'll be done with it around noon. I'll give you a call right after that."

Many interrupters are unaware of or oblivious to the needs of the other person. However, when they hear the firmness of the person's voice and the repetition of the exact message they've just heard (psychologists have labeled this the "broken record approach"), they recognize the situation and leave. But they're not angry, and the relationship is still intact, because their egos have been catered to by steps one and two.

3. Use a variation of the entire process. Start by saying the person's name, as usual, and follow by saying something nice. But now, before you explain your own urgent situation, acknowledge the person's apparent need to talk to you, and then complete the formula. It sounds like this: "Jill you're always a source of great ideas, and it looks like you might have one to share this very moment. But as important as that might be, I've got an even greater urgency. I'm rushing to finish a proposal that has to be faxed to an agency. I still have about an hour left on the job. When I'm done, I'll check by your office."

Finally, if you've tried to buy time once and failed (and you'll succeed over 80 percent of the time), tried again using either of the last two scenarios above and failed (but as a rule, you'll be successful 95 percent of the time), there's one more approach: You can let them speak, but limit them, severely, so that they understand the urgency of your situation. It sounds like this: "Bob, it's obvious you've got an important item, and I'm sitting on a bombshell myself, so, in 10 words or less-and I'm serious Bob, I'll count-give it to me so I can decide if I'll listen more and let my crisis be damned, or if I'll just have to push you out of the office until later. Deal? Ten words?"

You've now successfully handled 99.5 percent of all cases. What do you do with the other 0.5 percent? There is no answer. Let your conscience, your ethics and physical size be your guide.

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