How do you feel about being interrupted? Do interruptions bother you?

That depends entirely on the circumstance. I don’t get annoyed if I don’t enjoy the project (certain repairs come to mind) and even when I’m concentrating, if my mood is OK, I don’t get bothered, I can get back on track pretty easily.
But lordy, if my mood is bad, don’t anyone dare to disturb me, even sirens on the nearby freeway, I will lose whatever shred of cool I might have had. I can rarely get my focus back.

It’s a mood thing, I hadn’t realized that until I thought it out for this Q. Thanks!

No, they don’t bother me at all. But the downside is, unfortunately, I get distracted too easily.

I write code for a living. A lot of times while I’m writing code, I build up a pretty complex mental model of what the data looks like, important details I need to keep in mind, etc. A small interruption can blast this mental model and send you back to square one. Relevant comic.

For this reason, it’s really hard to get much done at work on days when I have a meeting every other hour and only have 30–60 minutes at a time for focusing. I’d get a lot more done on a day when I have just as many meetings, but they’re all clumped together in the morning, for example.

I mostly wear headphones at work when I’m focusing really hard to indicate that I’m not to be interrupted unless super necessary. People generally respect that unspoken rule.

Interruptions annoy me to no end. In my business, staff interrupt a few times a day so it’s not a huge deal, but when you deal with money and numbers, it’s difficult to not make a mistake when people barge in talking about their weekend.

TBH, half the people I know seem to believe work is for socializing rather than work…lol

I hate any form of interruptus.

I am annoyed when I’m doing something and asked to do any unrelated task ( doesn’t matter how much time it takes) in between. I prefer to complete ongoing activity/activities first because I had already set up their sequence in my mind how I’m going to complete them and don’t like to break the sequence in between. I prefer to do it or to be told after my current work is done be at home or office.

The only ones that bother me are when I’m writing something online and there is a risk of losing what I have already written, because there is no way to save it. Or, if I’m writing something and I might forget my “brilliant” thought, because my mind is like a sieve lately. Otherwise, I don’t mind much. I don’t usually mind having to stop what I’m doing and then paying attention to something else.

Even during a conversation if someone interrupts me and the subject switches I rarely get bothered, I just switch back to what didn’t get finished.

My husband hates interruptions. He can’t handle them well. He gets angry. I think that’s part of the problem, it probably increases his adrenaline, because of his attitude. He is better than me at staying focused on a task though. So, I guess each type of personality has its pros and cons.

Not an issue for me. With three grandchildren at home ranging from four to nine years, I’m lucky to get a word in edgewise anyway. Sirens, people mowing grass or weedeating and things like that don’t bother me. Just life happening. I do get pretty annoyed by stupid ass robo calls and phone solicitors. Particularly if I’m reading or watching TV and don’t have my phone handy and have to go track it down.

@JLeslie,

> when I’m writing something online and there is a risk of losing what I have already written, because there is no way to save it.

Sure there is. Just takes a couple of extra keystrokes. Open a Notepad text file, copy your in-progress post, and paste into the text file. If it’s a major composition, you can of course save the text file too. But just having the text elsewhere than in the Answer box can save something you might lose by an accidental movement or a loss of connection.

For a really major composition, you can write the whole thing in a text file, saving as you go along, and post only when you’ve completed it, read it over, filled in missing words, and corrected typos.

Even just a quick Ctl-A and Ctl-C will save your text on the clipboard. You can do that before you pick up the phone or get up to answer the doorbell.

@Jeruba I do the copy trick when using my phone. It’s just for some reason when I’m in the middle of thought when writing a response on fluther or Facebook or to an email, that’s when I get frustrated with an interruption. Not always, but I’m likely to be short in patients. I think it has more to do with it usually being a short thought, and I want to get it done and sent/posted.

Longer essays I wouldn’t feel so bothered, because something longer I probably would want to put it down and go back to it anyway for a final edit.

But the point is—you said there’s no way to save it. There is.

^^You’re right. Technically, you are correct, but it feels different to me then when I’m writing something in word.

I have to go back and find the Q, or email, or Facebook status, it’s more of an ordeal in my mind.