Create very specific away from work status indicators

Summary

• Create very specific away from work status indicators

Details

• 'compiling august budget' is more effective than 'away till 3pm ' because our colleagues are able to adjust their expectations accordingly (or interrupt if it is a genuinely important thing)

References

• Managing up - How to get what you need from the people in charge - Melody Wilding

Quotes

• Step up your status updates. Swap generic status indicators like “Available” or “Do Not Disturb” for customized statuses that provide more information. For example: “Lunch until 1pm,” “Offline for the day—will check messages at 8am tomorrow,” or “Compiling the January numbers.” Colleagues can then adjust their expectations accordingly and are more likely to respect your boundaries when they understand what you’re working on and when you’ll be free.

Related

• Communicate goal or intention rather than micromanaging how a task should be done
• Programming principles that work in real life - Communicate well
• Great communication is an easy way to improve business efficiency
• Managers schedule vs Makers schedule