My work environment battle varies depending on how I am doing that day! Luckily I work only with my husband (who isn’t in the office much) and a mutual friend who shares my interests, etc. But some days external noise keeps me from doing things and other days it’s just plain necessary for me to concentrate!

When we moved out of the home office we’d be using for almost a decade and into a separate space, honestly my biggest problem was with the change, itself. I don’t deal with change well, and that could be part of your issue.

I used to not notice myself, but the more I kept having problems with days and things weren’t working out how I’d expected I finally realized that it was because my routines - purposeful or not - had been disrupted. You may be finding that more of a problem then your actual, physical environment.

The good/bad news with that is it just takes time to adjust to the new habits you’ll create in the new space.

I recently started a new job for a great company working in a newly created call center.  Unfortunately they have too many people in too small a space with cubicles that do nothing to buffer sound.  It started out extremely noisy and I thought I was going to start screaming one day because it felt like there were a million bees buzzing around my head.  Fortunately things have calmed down a bit, but I have my doubts that it will last.  If the noise continues to bother me, my plan is to put a white noise machine on my desk.  I have found that if I tune into the sound of the white noise, it helps me to ignore other noises and even helps if my mind wants to go into overdrive.

As far as the office mate talking loudly on the phone is concerned, I would just like to say that most people who do that don’t really realize they are speaking loudly.  Instead of suffering in silence, I would speak to that person politely explaining that it’s going to take some getting used to sharing an office.  I’m sure they will find things about you that will get on their nerves as well.  Sometimes it helps to have a little code word that no one else knows that one can use to convey that the other person is doing something really bothersome.  It helps to keep it from feeling like someone’s always complaining. 

Additionally, I’m sure the other person would enjoy having a more pleasant surrounding with painted walls and such.  I would just ask their thoughts.

Good luck.  I’m sure things will get better with a little time.

What is a “white noise machine”?

What is a “white noise machine”?

I work in a large hotel and my office is a total fishbowl. I stay distracted and sometimes I wonder how in the world I get anything done. Im so afraid that one day I am going to loose my job due to distractions getting in the way of meeting deadlines, and concentrating on my work. I work and deal with other peoples money, and it is not a light thing…..I guess you could say Im just getting by on a wing and a prayer.

I work in an office where people often stand outside my cube chatting. This to me is very distracting.

I use a small fan at my desk to help drown the noise. The fan is great, too, for blowing away the odor of food I don’t care to smell! If I get cold, I point the fan away from me but still have the advantage of a little noise.

If I really need to focus on an assignment, I listen to my iPod, which also helps to make my tasks more enjoyable!

You can download for free or purchase white noise apps for your iPhone or iPad. Ours plays various sounds such as a fan blowing, thunder, rain falling, ocean waves, etc.