Telephone interruptions: To avoid them, have them screened. If you do not have someone to screen them, try using the "saying no" techniques. Do not answer calls when you are busy with important matters. Have someone take the messages or use the automatic answering function of your telephone. You can return the calls later. Check your agenda, and set aside some time periods to dedicate to phone calls. It is best that you make the phone calls rather than receive them, for you can make better use of your time since you took the initiative to call. This may incur an expense problem, but anyway it is worth analyzing. Make your calls short and avoid conference calls. If the issue requires a meeting, the most efficient and effective thing to do is to set one up. Never handle sensitive matters, or matters that require a face-to-face conversation, over the phone.
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