I’m in the middle of a short series all about our work environment. We’ve considered why it matters and our actual workstation itself. Today in our mini-series work environment matters | Focus Three – Environment & distraction. What we are trying to do here is, as far as we able, to optimise our work environment to make it as easy as possible to get things done and be effective. Tomorrow, we will think about what to do about all the different things we cannot control.
The Environment around you
The key things to consider are heat, light, noise and space. Ideally you want a room that is not too hot or cold. Depending on what you are working on, well lit is also a must. For this, I’d recommend a lamp with different light settings and also a blind for sunny days if the light could hinder your ability to see.
When it comes to noise we all know that quiet can be good, but also a background hubbub or some music can really help us concentrate and focus. What’s hard is when there is noise that draws you in. It is easy to focus on and be distracted by. It’s easier to work in a cafe with 50 people talking around you than it is in a room with two people talking to each other.
I have on occasion used a free website that simulates the background noise of a cafe and put in my headphones that do a good job of blocking out the actual noise around me. Once, I even put on fake cafe background noise in a real cafe as a lady at the table next to me had a very distinct laugh and seemed to find the universe hilarious.
Space would be the next thing I consider. For me I prefer to work in more open spaces and I do not like having my desk up against and facing a wall if I can avoid it. I like to be able to see open space in front of me. I also like to have a window I can look out of when I am thinking about something. It’s important that the space is well ordered and not cluttered and overloaded with ‘stuff’ and or mess.
Distractions
Lastly, consider distraction. Most often, this comes in the form of other people and notifications. So, my advice and preference is to turn all notifications off. I have some specific rules set up so I get notified about certain things and from certain people. But my general principle is notifications off and set up slots through the day for checking and processing things like messages and emails to ensure I remain on top of them. Then, other people. This is harder. Dilbert, in my favourite ever Dilbert cartoon, created an ‘anti co-worker suit’. Google this if it is of interest to you. My advice here though is to be open with your colleagues. If you need some time to focus, simply ask them if they can allow you that unless they have something urgent. Then, if you are interrupted, be gracious and kind about it.
Here is the thing – most of us don’t know how to handle this because we are in our late 30s or above and our parents didn’t have to handle this. As children, we grew up on a steady diet of ‘if the phone rings, you answer it’. Because telephone was one of the primary modes of long distance communication, but alongside it sat the letter or ‘internal memo’ and these were just as common if not more so.
The landline phone was your only notification. You would only hear it if you were at home or at your desk.
Today, our context is VERY different. There are phone calls, text messages, WhatsApp, Discord, Zoom, Teams, Slack, email, facebook, Twitter, and countless other messaging and communication apps and mediums. Many productivity tools now allow you to ping comments or chat messages to people within your task and project managers or notes apps. And all of these services we carry in our pockets all day everyday.
The rule of answering the phone if it rings was built for a context that no longer exists. So we need new rules.
I say again – Work Environment matters
I’ve worked in an office where I had multiple co-workers all using the same room. The day the builders started drilling in the next room though, I had the office to myself. We all know that excessive noise destroys our ability to focus and work. There is a hotel near me that apparently cannot turn off the massive radiator in its cafe/bar area. In the summer, trying to write/work in there was painful and impossible.
Work environment matters | Focus Three – Environment & Distraction. Getting this right is really important. As far as we are able, we want to optimise our environment. In the next post we will think about what to do when have no control over these things.
