Podcast #40: Fighting distractions at work

May 12, 2015 by 6 Comments

ep 40 distractions graphicI’m often surprised that I am so easily distracted when I work. Isn’t that a symptom of being weak-minded? sad face.

If you find yourself easily distracted (especially when working at home), please know that you aren’t the only one. Lots of us share the same struggle. The key is to acknowledge, accept, and adjust. There are loads of productivity tools out there that can help you get in the zone.

In this episode, I talk about what distracts me and how I try to fight it and stay on track.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Related posts on this blog:

My new book is available on Amazon: A Highly Sensitive Person’s Life: stories & tips for those who experience the world intensely.

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Podcast music attribution: Bust This Bust That (Professor Kliq) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Filed Under: Coping, Podcast, Work Tagged With: , , , , ,

Headphones are the New Wall: Everyone Hates Open Office Plans

May 24, 2014 by 6 Comments

My first taste of an open office plan took me by surprise.

Several years ago, I was on the first day of a new job, and was led into an office meant for one person. In that office were three desks, one each for me and my two officemates. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Work Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The right to silence trumps the right to noise

December 10, 2013 by 7 Comments

HSP trumps3I remember the time when I heard someone playing music in their cubicle. It was several cubes away, but I could still faintly hear it.

I worked in a cube farm, as it is so affectionately called. Dozens and dozens of cubicles all next to each other in a giant room.

I remember sitting there, straight up, with a look of super annoyance on my face as I thought about what to do. I was a writer, and I needed silence to write. I could deal with the typical ambient noise of the office, but something like music distracts me. Because this person decided they needed to hear some tunes, now I couldn’t work.

Listening to music in a cubicle-when you are surrounded by dozens of other people in cubicles-is inconsiderate and selfish. You have just made the decision for everyone that they will now listen to your music as well, whether they want to or not. To me, that is the utter height of rudeness. Plus—why couldn’t she use headphones?

I sat there in my cube, getting more and more annoyed about how inconsiderate this person was. I was getting worked up. I debated with myself of what to do. “Just ignore it,” I told myself. But I couldn’t.

Finally, I stormed over and found the offender. I told her, nicely, that I was sorry but could she turn her music off because I couldn’t work? She turned it off. I’m sure the second I walked away, she IMed all her co-workers, “OMG some crazy chick just came over and told me to turn my music off, wtf?!” I couldn’t care less.

Some people like to listen to music when they work, or have the TV on in the background, or go to a café where there is ambient noise. Then there are people like me that prefer complete silence with no distractions.

Both of these preferences are okay. But we all have to live and work together in this world. This is how I see it: My right to silence trumps your right to noise. Why? Because my silence won’t bother you and distract you from your work. You can wear headphones to listen to music if you need to, just don’t pollute my air with your soundwaves. Your need for noise will bother me and distract me; my silence won’t bother you.

So, in my mind, the right to silence always wins.

HSP horizontal divider

When you can’t avoid noise at work, pop in your headphones and listen to white noise. Or, if you like ambient noise of a coffee shop, try Coffitivity.

Filed Under: Environment, Rants, Work Tagged With: , , , ,

Why am I so easily distracted at work?

September 12, 2013 by 5 Comments

Sometimes I am amazed that for a somewhat intelligent person, I have such a hard time staying focused on my work. Isn’t that a sign of being weak-minded or incompetent?

Nope, good news! I can blame it on HSP! :)

A recent article by HSP expert Peter Messerschmidt, “Time Management, Work and the Highly Sensitive Person” explains how to adjust your habits to HSP-proof your home office.

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turtles!!!

First of all — Does this sound like you?

You are sitting at your desk at home, doing work on the computer, when you notice the tissue box on your desk is empty. You stop typing mid-sentence, get up, and throw out the old tissue box. Then sit down back to work. A few minutes later, you are distracted by a picture hanging next to your computer from a recent vacation. You google the name of the vacation spot and spend the next 15 minutes reading about it. Back to work! A few minutes later again, you feel like a snack, so you head to the kitchen and notice the floor is dusty, so you decide to sweep it really quick. Ok, time to focus! After a few more minutes of working, you notice a program shortcut on your desktop that you haven’t used in a while. So you spend the next ten minutes going through your programs and deleting things you don’t need. You are not getting much work done!

I am ashamed to admit that that is sooooo me! I don’t think I even realize just how many things I get distracted by and how much time I waste!

Because HSPs are easily distracted by things around them (like an old tissue box or vacation photo) and annoyed by little things (like a dirty kitchen floor or unused desktop shortcuts), we need to work smarter. Not harder.

So acknowledge the fact that you get distracted easily… then minimize those distractions! Look around your work area and see what you can do to help yourself. Clear out clutter. I’ve installed software to stop myself from visiting certain websites when I’m working. The article mentioned a person who used a dedicated work laptop with only a Word processor but no internet connection when they wanted to focus on distraction-free writing.

And if you know there is a certain time of the day you are the most productive (for me, it’s late at night) specifically plan your day so you are working during those times. Take advantage of them!

Like I’ve said many times before, once you acknowledge your HSP traits and accept them, you can adjust your life to better fit you. You might feel like it isn’t “normal”, but who cares. You gotta do what works for YOU.

Filed Under: Traits, Work Tagged With: , , ,