170: 4 Ways to Stay Focused At Work and Handle Interruptions

Are constant interruptions at work stopping you from getting through your most important tasks?

If you work in HR or a People role, you’ll know how quickly your day can be taken over by “have you got a minute?” moments - making it difficult to focus on the work that really matters.

In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay Wallis shares practical ways to protect your time, reduce distractions and create more space for focused work, helping you step up with more confidence and control in your role.

You’ll learn how to:

• Set clear boundaries without feeling unhelpful
• Reduce interruptions across your organisation
• Create uninterrupted time for deep work
• Stay focused on your most important priorities

This episode is designed to support HR and People professionals who want to feel more confident, effective and in control of their time at work.

Chapters

[00:00] Do you get interrupted at work?

[00:16] Interruptions – a big time management problem

[00:55] Why HR gets pulled in

[01:35] Episode goal and boundaries

[01:56] Welcome and host intro

[02:33] Four tips overview

[03:00] Tip one: open door hours

[03:35] Scripts and signage

[04:06] Red sign boundary lesson

[05:07] Tip two: company focus time

[06:15] Deep work explained

[07:11] No meeting Wednesday example

[07:28] Tip three: working meetings

[10:21] Tip four: block a deep work day

[12:26] Recap and next steps

Useful Links from This Episode:

Connect with Fay on LinkedIn

Learn about Fay’s Essential HR Planner

Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership Programme

Take Fay’s free HR Leadership Impact Assessment.

Helpful Episodes to Listen to Next

• Ep 7:What to Do When You Don’t Have Enough Hours in the Day
• Ep 45:6 Ways to Stop Procrastinating & Find Time for Important Projects at Work
• Ep 52:Two Ideas to Help You Bounce Back From a Tough Day at Work
• Ep 67:How to Get on Top of Email Overwhelm When You’re in a Busy HR Role
• Ep 138:Can’t Find Time for Strategic Work in HR? 5 Tips to Help

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Mentioned in this episode:

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