The Mighty Sticky Trick

Let me paint you a scene. You are at your desk, trying to get some work done. You have finally collected your thoughts, and now comes the good stuff: the longed-for feeling of flow. Your mind is engaged. You poise your fingers over the keyboard, ready to commit a string of genius code to the… Naturally, this is the moment your teammate chooses to stick her head in the office door to inquire about something she won’t even be needing until a week from Monday. Your flow? Gone!

Now comes a decision moment: Do you come unglued, blame your colleague for the afternoon wasted, and spend the rest of the day seething? Do you try to recapture inspiration by sheer force of will? Don’t know about you, but I have never had much luck trying to get re-inspired on command. 

This quick fix works very well (field-tested!) for neutralizing the most common type of workplace flow-buster: the non-malicious, thoughtless kind.

1. Grab a sticky note and a fat black marker.
2. Write the following: “I will be available for consultation starting [insert exact time!] today”.
3. Stick the note on your door, cubicle wall, back of your chair, between your shoulder blades - wherever it will       be seen before your visitor starts speaking.
4. Politely explain to each likely offender, one-on-one, that you are unavailable for consultation when the note is     displayed, but you promise to be available after the time indicated.
5. Make sure you do make yourself available when you promised you would - this is very important! 

After a few early gaffs, your distractors will develop a habit of checking for the sticky note before entering your workspace. Think of the sticky note as a tiny neon-yellow road sign warning the well-meaning motorists to go around the construction zone. Most people are perfectly content to heed the warning, right? 

Happy HumpDay, my hardworking friends!