1. Call her mom and ask about her dad’s bowel movements
2. Tell her girlfriends how many peanut M&M’s she ate yesterday
3. Call what is presumably her boyfriend (though bless him if he is) and leave him 12 messages a day
4. Ask aforementioned friends if she should call him again (surely no is the answer)

Evidently, the answer was yes because call #13 was made.  Seriously?  While making a personal call may be necessary here and there, it’s aggravating to lose time at work due to other people’s noise when they make their personal calls.  From customized ring tones to countless trips down the hall to the bathroom in squeaky shoes, each distraction adds up to a staggering loss of concentration.  But, in an open office situation, that’s the way it has to be, right?

Fortunately, no.  Phones will ring, buzz, and vibrate and for some reason people will still buy ridiculously squeaky shoes.  But you don’t have to listen to it all.  In fact, I’ve found that white noise helps me tune out such ridiculousness.  Now, I’ll be the first to say that I don’t always want to tune it all out- I mean, some of those calls are a train wreck and are worth the distraction.  That’s what I love about this white noise generator- it’s adjustable and I can even customize my own preferences.  The best part is it’s free.