Most people have trouble letting others know when they're encroaching on space and time, but if you are serious about managing the hours in your day and becoming as productive as possible, then you need to become effective. Here are a few tips for communicating effectively with interruptions and the people who create them:

• As soon as you face your interrupter, ask what you can do for him today. The greeting will remind him of the reason he's there and be a gentle prod to get to the point. Quickly.
• Whenever you need to keep a call short or stop someone who's constantly interrupting, do it with a smile.
• Practice using verbal clues that you need to sign off. "You must have important things to do" or "I've taken up enough of your time" are considerate ways to let your caller or visitor know it's time to get back to work.
• If you truly cannot deal with that person, tell her. Saying, "I really can't help you right now, but I'll spend a minute pointing you in the right direction," is better than promising that you'll help her later.