101 Tips for Telecommuters—Successfully Manage Your Work, Team, Technology and Family

91. Manage the Madness of Multiple Machines that Ring or Beep at You

Once you're functioning as a well-connected telecommuter with multiple ways for people to contact you and for the exchange of information, you also may begin to feel a sense of intrusion. Depending upon the degree of connectivity you have with the “world” beyond your office, there can be a wide assortment of equipment interrupting the serenity of your telecommuting space and demanding your immediate attention:

• Multiple phone lines ringing and flashing.

• Voice mail signals and greetings announcing the accumulation of an astronomical number of messages in your voice mail box.

• Flashes and incessant beeps from the answering machine.

• The pager that beeps or vibrates with demands that ...