28 July 2009 | Posted inAudio, In the Studio
another office productivity blog post
While you’re in design school, they really just lie to you. Okay, maybe not lie, but they certainly omit somethings. One thing they really don’t touch on enough is just how much WRITING you’re going to be doing in the “real world.” Yesterday was one of those days where I just had to crank out some real text, and I’m not talking fun “once upon a time” stuff; this is jargon filled diatribe-type love.
Although I love the extremely open layout of our office when it’s time for true collaboration, the super-openness doesn’t always work to our advantage when we’re trying to do tough stuff like numbers and letters. I had the great opportunity to just run home and set up camp on my dining room table (far away from emails, phones, and other folks). Some of us can’t do that (meeting later that day, etc) so I’ve taken the initiative to just jot down a few of the best tips I could find for how to GET STUFF DONE while at the office:
- Head across the street to a coffee shop. Although you’ll still be on the internet (most likely), you can crank along and not have people stop by your side to chat.
- Put on some BIG headphones. Small little earbuds won’t work for this one. Also, just come right out and say it – “when I’ve got headphones on I’m going to need some privacy”. Sometimes I will put my headphones on and not actually listen to anything!
- Hold on to your hats – I’m actually going to suggest this one: Close. Your. Email. I know, it’s tough! We’re trained to just be plugged in all the time, but it’s nice to UNPLUG and actually crank some stuff out!
- Try coming in super early (although this is NOT my natural ability) or staying late – less people to stop by, less others in front of their email = more time for you to just work
- Slip into an unused conference room or huddle room and leave the lights off – nobody will know you’re in there, and if you just mention your whereabouts to a discrete coworker, people won’t bother you but still know how to reach you if you’re immediately needed.
- Broadcast your deadlines to your coworkers. If they know you’re under a stressful deadline, they’ll commiserate and leave you alone.
- Gather your things (water, quick snack, pens/pencils, other office supplies) ahead of time so you don’t have to get up and appear unfocused by your coworkers. This way you don’t need to break your own concentration unnecessarily.
- Place your computer so that you can see people approaching you in your peripheral vision, but so you can “stare at a wall” beyond your desk/computer screen. Less visual noise will allow you to concentrate easier.
- Find things you like to listen to. Talk radio too distracting? Try music (I like Pandora) Music with lyrics you know too tempting to sing or whistle along with? Try instrumentals (i love bluegrass because it’s FAST and makes me work faster!) And if that’s too much, try several of the online “ambient” noise services (when studying for my LEED exam I swore by the laundry noises here).
I hope this little run-down helps some of you fellow scatter-brains out there! If your leadership doesn’t support alternative places (thank goodness mine does!) give these a quick try next time you’re under a crunch. Also, if you have other techniques you’re fond of, don’t hesitate to leave a comment!
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You’ve mentioned all of my techniques. If you go into a small conference room and turn off the lights though, leave something on the door. One day I almost stepped on someone who was meditating on the floor right as you walk in b/c the lights were off and I just ‘bolted’ in.
Headphones seem to work best, even if you’re not listening to music. Sometimes it’s not just getting complete silence to concentrate, but not having someone call your name or tap you on the shoulder. Which inevitably happens anyway.
Love this post, specifically two things . . .
1. “…in…school, they really just lie to you.” SO true!
2. Headphones should come with a sign that says, “see these, they mean I need to be left alone”!
so, this is probably a question for our more experienced readers, but what did people do before headphones were office-acceptable? i know open-offices are a fairly new interior design concept, so maybe people had offices before…
welcome to my world…
I still put a little sign on my desk that says, “I have a deadline. I’ll come find you when I’m finished
!” Sometimes it actually works…
Photos like this make me realize what a mess our office is.
So true! I recommend Radio Canada’s Espace Musique (http://www.radio-canada.ca/espace_musique/). I like brushing up on my French while I work, but find that I can ‘turn off’ the words when I want to concentrate.
Before there were so many around the office, I actually attached a sign to my phone headset. It looked like a cartoon balloon, but it helped. People think it’s ok to interrupt you when wearing headphones.
nice suggestion! i tried listening to salsa for a while, but my limited spanish fluency kept me working harder to think of what the translation was than the whole “zone out” concept!
Times have changed. When the Sony Walkman came out in the late 70s, at the very large firm where I was working one or two architects started wearing headphones at the drafting tables. The owner didn’t issue memos about dress, conduct etc., but simply put out the word about his preferences. The word in this case was that “(name) thinks headphones are unprofessional”. You could of course choose to continue listening to your Walkman, but knew your name would be on a “fire first” list.
Well, I found this post a year after you wrote it — but it’s still good! I confess to turning on reruns of the Dick Van Dyke show. It creates a happy sound in the background that doesn’t require my attention, yet puts me in a relaxed and creative mood.