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It's very situation-dependent, so here are a few things I've done: 1. In a work situation where I'm relatively senior, I've proactively communicated that I like minimally-interrupting notifications (email>slack>IRL). Even when someone taps me on the shoulder, they're a little sheepish about it, and I can request 30 seconds to jot down a note about where I left off. I also just feel more in control of the situation. 2. At home, I keep a note of the interruptions and talk to my wife about the overall issue after the 'crisis' has passed. 3. When I feel like I can't get something out of my head, I use Siri to write a reminder. I use https://rememberthemilk.com/ but almost anything will work. A poorly thought-out, awkward, run on sentence for the task title, and then if I have more thoughts bursting outof me, I can add those as notes over the course of the day. What's important to realize is that you'll have to 'groom' the task before you can actually do it, but getting it off your chest is priority #1, and if you're supposed to be mostly doing something els eyou won't have time for that in the moment. More generally, it's all about insisting on 30 seconds to record some placeholder, even if it feels impolite to whoever is interrupting you. I'm 99.9% sure this will not get you fired, and it's worth whatever tiny annoyance it might give them - they should share the annoyance burden of the situation after all! In all likelihood, just having that shred of control will help you feel a ton better and potentially make people think twice about whether they need to tap you on the shoulder in the first place |
I am not a fan of IM communication, if it’s required that I respond immediately, all the time. Most IM methods, these days, have a “go away and leave me alone” feature, but it has been my experience that many folks resent it, if you actually have the nerve to use them.
I use Slack in “bursts,” for technical communication. I’ll ignore it for hours, or even days (if I’m in The Zone on a tough issue), then have a half hour or so of intense communication.
I mostly prefer email.