It was one of the few things I didn't like about my last job - the *constant* interruptions @ lunch as I munched on my sandwich or tucked into a DIY salad (from our excellent on-site salad bar) with book in hand at my desk. I purposedly put my book in plain sight to indicate that I wasn't @ work. No noticeable effect. I did think seriously, more than once, of taking my lunch break elsewhere - but it was just too convenient staying at my desk....
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There are some days when I've literally eaten lunch in my car because I didn't want people plaguing me with questions during lunch. This is my no-people time. It's how I get through 9 hours of peopling without my inner Basil Fawlty erupting to the surface.
I think that part of the problem was that most of the people I worked with didn't read much, if at all. So they didn't realise they were interrupting anything - or anything 'important' to them. I did have to bite my tongue more than once to stop me saying something they'd regret.
I haaaaaaaate this, as you know. I am most certainly not doing "nothing". I am freaking READING.
I solved that problem. I eat lunch at my desk while working and letting people interrupt me, then I leave work an hour early because I didn’t take lunch.
I *KNOW*... What do these people THINK I'm doing! [shakes head]
I used to log back on & then take another 5-10 minutes so I claimed at least some of my time back, especially when I was solving work issues when still (supposedly) at lunch.
Sometimes I wear my giant bluetooth headphones - turned off - just so people will be sure not to talk to me :)
LOL! I never thought of doing that... I presume that it worked?
No matter whether you are reading or not, a lunch break should be just that. A break. My husband was constantly interrupted in his lunch for work. Until he locked his office door, so people would think he wasn't there.
But I love the idea with the headphones.
I did propose that we had green or red flags attached to our PC screens, so we could alert people to whether we were available or not. That didn't go down too well - as most of my ideas didn't. I think that my best idea (by far) was going on a Team Building weekend for a Hostage Negotiation course. Sounded BRILLIANT to me. Management shot the idea down even though they DID ask for suggestions!
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