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.

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Mentioned in this episode:

Kara Connect - Help When It's Needed Most

Menopause, grief, ADHD, relationship breakdown... Every day, employees dealing with these situations are turned away by their EAP because they didn't qualify for counselling. When someone finally asks for help, they deserve better. Visit Kara Connect, where no employee is ever turned away.

Kara Connect

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