Managing Interruptions Without Losing Your Mind
It's 9:47 a.m. on a Tuesday, and you're finally settling in to tackle that planning document that's been haunting your to-do list for weeks. You've got your coffee, your door is cracked just enough to signal you're available but focused, and your cursor is blinking expectantly on the screen.
Then... the flood gates open.
"Hey, do you have a quick sec?" floats through your door.
After supporting your team member, you return to your computer and see three patron complaints have landed in your inbox like digital grenades.
Next, your phone rings—it’s the Board President, and they want to discuss their concerns about the upcoming budget committee meeting.
By 11:30 a.m., you're staring at a blank document, wondering how you're ever going to find the mental space to think strategically when you can barely string together 10 uninterrupted minutes.
As a library director or manager, you’re often expected to be the go-to person for everything from printer jams to personnel conflicts. The constant interruptions aren't just frustrating—they're preventing you from doing the deep, meaningful work that actually moves your library forward.
But here's what I've learned from coaching dozens of overwhelmed library leaders: managing interruptions isn't about being mean or inaccessible. It's about creating systems that protect your focus while still supporting your team. Today, I'm sharing five game-changing tactics to help you reclaim your focus and finally tackle those important projects.
Start with a Reality Check: The Time Audit
Before you can protect your time, you need to know where it's actually going. This simple audit will reveal patterns you didn't even know existed and show you exactly where your attention is being siphoned off.
For the next week, track your activities in 15-30 minute blocks—yes, everything from preparing the board packet to interviews for a new department manager to finding keys for a forgotten file cabinet.
After tracking your week, review your notes and ask:
Goal alignment: Which activities moved me toward my leadership goals? Which pulled me away from meaningful progress?
Energy impact: What work energized me and played to my strengths? What left me feeling drained or frustrated?
Optimization opportunities: What could be eliminated entirely, simplified, or handed off to capable team members?
Batch Your Way to Better Focus
Instead of ping-ponging between different types of tasks all day, try batching similar work together. Here's how this looks in practice:
Email management: Check and respond to messages at three designated times—perhaps first thing in the morning, after lunch, and before heading home for the day. Let your team know about this schedule so they understand when to expect responses.
Meetings and check-ins: Designate specific days for different types of meetings. For example, schedule all your one-on-ones on Tuesdays and department meetings on Thursdays, leaving other days largely meeting-free for deep work.
Office hours: Set specific times when your door is open for questions and drop-ins—say every morning from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and every afternoon from 1-2 p.m. This gives your team predictable access while protecting the rest of your schedule from constant interruptions. More on how to handle emergencies later.
Protect Your White Space
When you look at your calendar, you should see breathing room, not a solid wall of back-to-back events. Actively schedule "Focus Time" blocks in your Google or Outlook calendar for high-impact work. When colleagues see these blocked off times, they'll naturally work around them when scheduling meetings.
Remember: that "empty" space on your calendar isn't actually empty—it's when your most important leadership work happens. Strategic planning, policy revisions, staff development initiatives—these aren't luxuries you squeeze in when everything else is done. They're essential leadership functions that deserve protected time.
Build Your Interruption-Proof Environment
Once you've created the time, you need to protect it fiercely. This is where most library leaders struggle—we often feel guilty about being "unavailable" even when we're trying to work on crucial projects. But remember: every interruption doesn't just steal the time it takes to address it; it also steals the time it takes to refocus and get back into deep thinking mode.
Physical barriers are your first line of defense. If you have an office door, use it. A closed door with a simple sign like "Deep work in progress—back at 2 p.m." works wonders.
If you work in an open environment, noise-canceling headphones are your best friend. If you benefit from ambient noise or background music, check out some of my favorite YouTube channels: Chillhop, Memoir Music, and Yellow Brick Cinema.
However, the most powerful tool is training your team to triage their own needs. Work together to establish three distinct urgency levels, each with clear criteria and specific examples.
Level 1: True emergencies require immediate attention and cannot wait. These may include safety incidents or system-wide outages that affect patrons. Create a step-by-step checklist for handling these situations.
Level 2: Important but not urgent issues need resolution within the same day, but don't require dropping everything. Examples include scheduling conflicts or clarifying questions for an important project. Establish specific timeframes for when these will be addressed.
Level 3: Everything else can wait for your designated office hours or scheduled check-ins. This includes status updates, general questions, brainstorming requests, and non-critical decisions.
Provide concrete examples and clear escalation protocols for each level. When people must pause to categorize their request, many "urgent" issues either resolve themselves or reveal that they can actually wait a few hours. This simple framework transforms reactive interruptions into thoughtful, prioritized communication.
Stay in the Zone
The hardest part of deep work isn't starting—it's maintaining focus when your brain wants to check email, social media, or the news for "just for a minute."
In these circumstances, try the Pomodoro Technique: set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on one specific task without distractions. When your alarm rings, take a 5-minute break, then dive back in. Apps like StayFocusd or Forest can gamify this process.
But here's the secret sauce: reframe deep work as an essential service to your community. When you're strategic planning, you're ensuring better patron service for years to come. That budget analysis? You're protecting resources your community depends on.
Keep a "deep work wins" journal, noting what you accomplished during protected focus time—completed a grant application, connected with a new community partner, updated your collection development policies. Seeing tangible results reinforces why this practice matters.
Your Next Steps
You now have five concrete tactics to reclaim and protect your time, energy, and focus. This isn't just about getting more done—it's about becoming the strategic leader your library needs.
When you audit your time, you'll finally see where all those hours disappear to. Batching similar tasks together stops you from constantly switching gears. Protecting white space on your calendar gives your big ideas room to breathe. Environmental barriers train others to respect your focus. And staying in the zone? That's where the magic happens—where you actually get to think, plan, and lead instead of just react.
Start small this week. Pick one strategy and implement it. Notice how it feels to complete a thought, finish a project, or brainstorm without constant interruptions.
Ready to dive deeper? I’ve developed a comprehensive course called Sustainable Productivity that will teach you an entire system for blocking distractions, managing competing priorities, and accomplishing meaningful work without burning out.
If you're tired of feeling scattered and want to lead with greater focus and impact, join the waitlist. You'll be the first to know when early enrollment opens on Monday, September 8, 2025.
