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Interruptions have a massive negative impact on your personal productivity. A few people I talk with would love to live in a world of “splendid isolation”, free from any and all interruptions.  They would prefer to live in environment in which they had control over what and when events happen.  However, that’s not how we live in our “connected world!”  Interruptions are part of the terrain…  Learning to effectively handle interruptions is critical to your personal productivity development.  The following are a couple of ways to effectively handle interruptions:

Let’s say you just opened a new café that designs and makes customized cakes, and you take your first order: a cake for a five-year-old child’s birthday party where over 30 parents were invited. The client is extremely impressed with your work, and all the guests loved the cake!  In fact, several of the guests asked for the name of the bakery that designed and made the cake.  Within a short period of time, the number of cake requests doubled, and then tripled, and your café was gaining notoriety—all this without any major marketing strategies to date!

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’ve had to win-over a client/customer by establishing your company’s credibility; however, during your presentation you were so nervous that you were unable to make eye contact? And, after failing to convince your prospective client to accept your proposal, you asked yourself, “What went wrong?” Upon reflection, you felt your presentation was well-organized and was presented quite professionally. And yet, the client/customer didn’t seem interested in, as we say, “closing the deal.”

It is very rare to find people that have the ability to politely and firmly say, “NO!” There are many valid reasons for people not wanting to say, “No”.  Unfortunately, saying, “Yes” all the time can lead to more work, increased stress, and to reduced productivity.  Research shows that there are three (3) primary factors that hinder people’s ability to say, “No”:  fear of loss, lack of pre-planning and inability to properly prioritize.

Would you have dared to set sail on the Seven Seas without a compass? Would you have wanted our founding fathers to create our country’s Constitution without its sacred Preamble? And so, I ask you…Would you dare to create a company without a purpose or mission? The birth of every company is predicated on a purpose or mission that has—at some point in time—been visualized by its owner, a passionate business owner who is committed to achieving his/her vision.

A mission statement outlines this vision. It highlights the rationale for the existence of your company and enlightens your stakeholders, customers, and employees with what the company is all about, and what it offers.It is short and precise, and it incorporates all that is necessary to briefly tell your story so that all will know the grounds upon which your company was established. A mission statement encompasses the markets you serve, the benefits your company offers, the work environment that you provide your employees, and the work ethics your company lives by.