Noises in the office

[OdinTheAardvark]

Does anyone else here have difficulties working in an open-plan office where everyone seems to talk across each other? In addition, there is a table about 15 feet from my desk that people use for presentations and meetings.

My solution is to use headphones and listen to music. However, as soon as I have managed to get into that state where I can ignore what is going on around me (usually takes about 10 minutes), someone always seems to come over and ask me a question. Headphones out, back into the 'real' world and back to square one.

Anyone have a technique for dealing with this?

 

[The Penguin]

You tend to do the same thing I'm doing at a place I use to work at. I also use headphones too. On the main floor I worked on is just software developer. But 2 to 3 times a week we have this support person that works on our floor. She is very loud. My manager sometimes close his door when this person in the office. It sucks for everyone else as we work in an open floor so there is no door to close. I don't have any advice to share. I just learned to deal with it even though it's hard.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I work as a cashier, and i know the environment is different but i have had issues with noise there since day one. At first it gave me anxiety attacks almost daily but with time i learned to cope. With me it was all the background noise and people talking and such plus having to deal with a customer right in front of me that bothered me. At first i merely focused on my current customer, solely hyperfocusing on them. But eventually i learned to switch the focus of the hyperfocusing easier, with time. Now i can go from checking out a customer to stopping what i'm doing to focus on my supervisor that just came over to me for a few seconds. Its uncomfortable, for sure, but i can do it now provided i'm not having a particularly rough day. At which point i have to repeat aloud back what they said to me so i'll remember it instead of forgetting it the moment i turn back to my customer cause i didn't have time to process what they said to me.

 

[DogwoodTree]

I work from home, but DH and the kids are home all day, too, because we homeschool. So yes, constant noise and interruptions. It takes me a while to get in the "zone" when there's an interruption, even a little one. At the same time, I work such long hours that I don't want to cut them off completely, either.

My solution (that probably wouldn't work for you) is to adjust my hours so I don't need to get as much done during the day when everyone is coming and going, then I stay up really late into the night working with no interruptions, then I sleep in for the mornings. Last night I worked until after 4 am, slept until after 10 am, and just now at 2 pm sitting down at my desk to start trying to gear my brain towards work. I'll try to make a little headway on work off and on throughout the afternoon/evening with all the interruptions, then when the kids go to bed at 10:30, I'll hyper-focus until I reach my goal for the day.

The questions that people are asking you...are they urgent? Is it possible to put up a little "do not disturb" sign for a couple of hours each day, maybe with a note asking them to email you instead? If people get the message that you prefer emails (which, in my experience, are easier to handle without breaking the flow of my thoughts, even if I still need to respond right away), maybe the disruptions will decrease.

 

[Progster]

Yes, I have great difficulty settling down and concentrating when there's background noise, especially people talking and radios. Luckily I don't work in that kind of environment, I work at home and have my own office at the back of the house where it's a lot quieter. I shut the door to block out noise, listen to my music down low, or use earplugs if I really need to concentrate.