{"podcast":{"title":"HR Coffee Time","slug":"hr-coffee-time-4106816","podcast_index_feed_id":4106816,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/hr-coffee-time/","website_url":"https://brightskyhr.co.uk/hr-coffee-time-podcast/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/9c63f38f-f2ad-4455-88d4-79702b4d95f6/HR-Coffee-Time-Logo-Oct-2025.jpg","author":"Fay Wallis","episode_count":176,"summary":"Welcome to the HR Coffee Time podcast; a fortnightly podcast full of tips and ideas to help you have a successful and fulfilling HR career (without working yourself into the ground). It can feel hard to put yourself and your own career first when you're so busy looking after everyone around you. It can leave you at risk of burning out, finding that you're not where you want to be in your career, or feeling unsure about what you want from your career anymore. This podcast is here to help. Join career coach and founder of Bright Sky HR, Fay Wallis as she and her expert guests share advice on how to get what you want from your career. If you enjoy the podcast, learn more at: https://brightskyhr.co.uk/ or connect with Fay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faywallis/","last_synced_at":"2026-07-03T14:20:13.094905+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hr-coffee-time-4106816"},"episode":{"title":"170: 4 Ways to Stay Focused At Work and Handle Interruptions","slug":"170-4-ways-to-stay-focused-at-work-and-handle-interruptions","published_at":"2026-05-08T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hr-coffee-time-4106816/170-4-ways-to-stay-focused-at-work-and-handle-interruptions","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hr-coffee-time-4106816","url":"https://www.brightskycareercoaching.co.uk/hr-coffee-time-podcast/170","audio_url":"https://op3.dev/e/episodes.captivate.fm/episode/858faea9-291a-4813-9992-16eb8429bbe6.mp3","summary":"Are constant interruptions at work stopping you from getting through your most important tasks? If you work in HR or a People role, you’ll know how quickly your day can be taken over by “have you got a minute?” moments - making it difficult to focus on the work that really matters. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, Fay Wallis shares practical ways to protect your time, reduce distractions and create more space for focused work, helping you step up with more confidence and control in your role. You’ll learn how to: Set clear boundaries without feeling unhelpful Reduce interruptions across your organisation Create uninterrupted time for deep work Stay focused on your most important priorities This episode is designed to support HR and People professionals who want to feel more confident, effective and in control of their time at work. Chapters [00:00] Do you get interrupted at work? [00:16] Interruptions – a big time management problem [00:55] Why HR gets pulled in [01:35] Episode goal and boundaries [01:56] Welcome and host intro [02:33] Four tips overview [03:00] Tip one: open door hours [03:35] Scripts and signage [04:06] Red sign boundary lesson [05:07] Tip two: company focus time [06:15] Deep work explained [07:11] No meeting Wednesday example [07:28] Tip three: working meetings [10:21] Tip four: block a deep work day [12:26] Recap and next steps Useful Links from This Episode: Connect with Fay on LinkedIn Learn about Fay’s Essential HR Planner Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR Leadership Programme Take Fay’s free HR Leadership Impact Assessment . Helpful Episodes to Listen to Next Ep 7: What to Do When You Don’t Have Enough Hours in the Day Ep 45: 6 Ways to Stop Procrastinating & Find Time for Important Projects at Work Ep 52: Two Ideas to Help You Bounce Back Fr…","meta_description":"Are constant interruptions at work stopping you from getting through your most important tasks? If you work in HR or a People role, you’ll know how quickl…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":997,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hr-coffee-time-4106816/episodes/170-4-ways-to-stay-focused-at-work-and-handle-interruptions/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/hr-coffee-time-4106816/170-4-ways-to-stay-focused-at-work-and-handle-interruptions.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}