TOW#608 — Peace and quiet
When you need to get something done, you need peace and quiet to be able to concentrate. This is the norm when you’re working on reports, numbers and finances, or you need to read something, etc. Some people aren’t able to find peace at work/home, so they ‘escape’ somewhere into the mountains, a lake, the countryside, so that they can do their work.
But not all of us are able to get away so easily, so the question is, how can you find some peace and quiet (to concentrate) so that you can finish the job?
There are several ways to do this:
1. If you have a spare room (size is irrelevant), try to adapt it and turn it into a quiet room in which anyone can withdraw when needed. Of course, this room shouldn’t become a place where everyone ‘runs away’ for private and professional reasons, but only when the need arises.
2. Ask the colleagues who share your workspace to get organised and to leave you alone (for a certain period) so you can do the work that requires peace and quiet.
3. Come to work early or leave after everyone else, then you’ll definitely be alone and can work in silence.
Of course, these few ideas are only possible if space or the environment allows, but I’d also like to advise you on how to create your own peace and quiet. Not everyone can do it, and it takes a lot of effort to do it properly. It’s not easy, but here are some tips that might help:
• Focus — no matter how much noise there is around me, I try to switch off (physically and mentally) all the things that could distract me, and I’ve at times worked in the middle of a cacophany and still been able to focus on what I was doing. I just love my job, what can I do? :)
• Concentration — related to focus, but you need to concentrate on what you’re doing, and you shouldn’t bat an eyelid even if rocks are falling all around you. It’s easy to say, but hard to do.
• Sound — to be able to do these two things above, some people find it useful to have noise cancelling headphone, or to play some music (without lyrics and singing since it can be distracting), which should help you to focus and concentrate
• (non)Fatigue — I’ve noticed that if I’m tired, it’s a little (more) difficult for me to apply any of the above. So, if you need peace at work, be sure to rest first!
Yes, it’s not easy to get your work done in a noisy office, but if none of the above works, then asking your colleagues nicely or not-so-nicely for a period of quiet will definitely help!
Wishing you success with (escaping) the noise,
@kalinbabusku
Member of the Team
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