November 17, 2012
Avoiding Chatty Cathy: How to Rid Yourself of Office Distractions
Ignoring phone calls. Avoiding lunchroom banter. Going invisible on G-chat. These are all things workers do in an effort to stay focused and get their work done. For some, it may be off-putting, causing their more social counterparts to wonder “How does she think she is?” or make accusations of snobbery.
Hey, all you want to do is get your work done and go home, right? Well, you aren’t alone, and the constant distractions can hinder progress. Brazen Careerist gives tips on how to get through the chatter and avoid productivity leeches—without hurting feelings.
Address internal interruptions: These are the only interruptions we can truly control. Get to know when you’re most likely to be hungry, bored, tired or otherwise unfocused and plan ahead. Keep healthy snacks at your desk, mix up your to do list so boring tasks are followed by interesting ones or find a quiet place to take a power nap.
Give people busy signals: In addition to putting up the “busy†message on instant messenger, try wearing headphones (even if you’re not playing music). Stand to greet cube crashers to show them you want to move the conversation along and don’t have all day. If you face the entrance of your cube or office when you’re seated at your desk, move your computer to the back of the cube to face the wall when working. Sure, visual queues like these might be passive-aggressive, but they might also save you from many an annoying interruption.
Read more at Brazen Careerist…