My Co-Worker Won't Stop Talking to Me!

Ever had a co-worker who just won't stop talking to you while you're trying to work? She pops by to ask you a work-related question but is still there 20 minutes later, talking about her weekend. Or you're on deadline and she keeps interrupting you to gripe about the IT guy. Whatever the specifics, a co-worker who won't stop talking to you when you need to work is annoying and can harm your productivity.

But you don't need to sit by and watch as your work time gets sucked away. You can put a stop to it, if you're willing to be direct. Let's talk about the three avenues that can help solve the problem, in the order that it usually makes sense to try them.