Text Message Hell—Forget the voices in my head, they're coming from my phone!

I once worked with a person who asked me questions all day long. At first it was fun. But it didn't take long to learn that answering questions was a serious detriment to productivity. The work I was doing—writing letters, filling in reports, etc.—didn't require day-long concentration, but it did require consistent, brief stretches of uninterrupted time if I were to meet deadlines.

I asked my friend his opinion on the best way to handle this situation. His advice was to tell them, "I have enjoyed helping you and I'll always help when I can. Maybe you can help me. Would you mind keeping a list with your questions on a notepad? When the notepad gets full or at the end of the day—whichever comes first—stop in my office and we'll go through them. I've got quite a workload and this will help me both meet my deadlines and still help you, which is something I like doing."

I remembered this conversation after my most recent trip to text message hell, a nonstop back-and-forth chatter of unending questions. I don't mind a question or two, but at some point, we should just call this what it is—a meeting. The moment I would start working, I'd receive another question. In 30 minutes I could have completed my project, but the interruptions stretched that to an hour.

Obviously this was a moment when she had free time but I didn't. Recalling the story, I sent a text message asking her to collect her thoughts on the issue then call me. She did and we handled all of her questions in five minutes.

Texting has great advantages, but it's one of the most interruptive tools we can use. There have been times–when I've received a landslide of text messages simultaneously, for example—that I've been tempted to turn it off. But that won't change anything because the problem isn't the text messaging ... it's the way we use it.

Interruptions can happen in an office, by email, by phone and more. The channel isn't the issue. Managing interruptions is the skill we're looking for. Fortunately, the golden rule applies:

• Give what you hope to receive.

Before sending a text, I ask, "Does this person need to know this information right now?" If not, I'll send an email. This virtually eliminates the overwhelming majority of incoming text messages. It also allows me to only send a text when necessary—thereby making those texts more effective.

When I receive a text message, I ask myself, "Does this person need to know this information right now?" If not, I might say, "Great question, would you bring it up in the meeting?" or "Can we talk about this when I see you tonight?" or "Good question, would you jot down your thoughts and call me tomorrow morning?" 

Is it perfect? No. Some people just like interrupting. (Avoid those people or tell them to buzz off.) But I've found that the overwhelming majority of people appreciate consideration and are happy to respond in kind. 

Whether you're interrupted by text or in person, the skill of managing interruption is the same—through considering other people's time we gain consideration for our own.