Instant messenger at work...Is it the rudest interruption?

Hello...Hello...Answer me...Answer me NOW!

Does this sound familiar in your working or even personal life. There are so many distractions vying for our attention, it is no wonder we find it difficult to be productive and get to the list of things we actually need to do. Be it constant emails, pop-ups or people just swinging past our desks for a chat, when we need to get into the meat of a really important task.

However, these interruptions pale in comparison to instant messenger and to some extent the phone which are, from my point of view, the rudest forms of communication available. The expectation is that you drop everything you were doing, interrupt your train of thought or really productive working and answer the question being posed. 

 Would you stand next to someone's desk and sit there prodding them in the arm until they answered you?

 I hope the answer would be no.

I am not saying that they don't have their place and can be a really valuable way of keeping in touch, especially for remote workers. But think really carefully before you leap onto messenger or the phone. 

• Do you need to know right away, is it that urgent?

• Is the person interruptible?

• Would an email do just as well, so they can respond at a more constructive productive time?

 So, please just think before you message, just because it is productive for you, is it productive for the other person?