You don't have to become a superhero to deal with office noise.

There are a million distractions at work, most of which can’t be avoided: you have to check your email, endless reports must be filled out, and a blue, sunny sky can’t really be blocked out just because it’s beckoning to you.  However, you do not have to be held captive to other’s people’s noise.  Their phone calls, pounding on keyboards (which is a terrible ergonomic practice anyway), exuberant sales pitches, and just general office chatter do not have to derail you day after day.  You have several options:

3 Tips for Fewer Distractions

1. Talk to them.  It may sound hypocritical- talk to co-workers about their loud talking…but, in all seriousness, have a relaxed, non-threatening conversation about toning it down when possible.   Ask if there’s anything you can do to make their work day a little smoother.
2. Time block.  Some people find it helpful to lay out their schedules and physically block off time for emailing, phone calls, ad computer work.  Some also find it necessary to escape their desks for various blocks of time and choose to reserve a conference room.
3. Try a sound machine.  It may be that option #1 simply isn’t going to cut it with your co-workers and option #2 doesn’t alleviate enough noise.  Some temperaments just can’t handle such dialogue without becoming defensive or retaliatory.  If that’s your situation, a desktop sound machine is just the ticket.  It’s loud enough to cover office noise, but low enough to not be a distraction for others.  There are a variety of options, so it’s important to consider your needs before choosing one.

Office noise is inevitable, but office distraction doesn’t  have to be.  Try one or all of these simple solutions for better focus and increased productivity.

Check back next week for tips on choosing a sound machine.

I managed to escape the heat of Texas by moving across the pond to Scotland…and not just any part of Scotland, but one of the northern-most parts of the coast, which puts us as far north as Moscow.  Wow.  Now, you’re getting it.  Surviving the cold, dark winters is a matter of focusing on summer, just warm enough to shed a coat and tons of daylight.  And, I do mean tons.  By mid-summer, the sun is up at 3 am and doesn’t set until 11pm.  At first, we reveled in this new-found freedom to stay up late and enjoy being outdoors longer.  However, the inevitable came and we also woke up earlier…at about 4am.  There’s something about the sun shining in the window that has been dark for half the year that triggers your body to rise and shine, whether you want to or not.  And, interestingly, your children are not immune to this phenomenon.  In fact, they experience it first, which might be the precursor to the sun waking you up.  It’s only fair, I mean, you’ve been telling your kids all fall, winter, and spring that it’s dark and time for bed.  In your kids’ mind, the opposite must be true: it’s light, therefore it’s time to yell, “I’m awake!”  How do you fight the inevitable?  How do you beat the natural order of things?

Fighting Mother Nature

Unlike most, I am not a respector of “Mother Nature.”  I know that in times past, you just slept more in the winter and less in the summer.  Since I only function on a certain amount of sleep, this just won’t do…not when we have such great technology.  Here are my 2 favorite life-saving and sleep-preserving gadgets:

1. 

   Sound Oasis Travel System

   Black-out Blinds.  We had some in my daughter’s and my son’s rooms from the last people who lived in our flat.  They were ill-fitting and only blocked out part of the sun.  My daughter was not fooled and was up at 6am no matter what, which had the tendency to wake up my son when her light streamed into his loft.  When we got new windows, the old blinds had to go and we bought new ones, including some for our room.  We have never slept better.  Truly, the total darkness beckons me to sleep much faster than a light-infused bedroom.  And for our daughter, we added a tiny nightlight that kept the room mostly dark.  She sleeps well past 7 every morning. *Tip: the key is how you mount them.  You must go past the window itself to ensure black-out.  I also recommend the kind that only requires one side of velcro.  That way you can take the blind off and on very easily without worrying about the adhering piece of velcro ripping off at an unexpected time.

2. White Noise Generators. I love it.  We use 3 white noise generators: one in each bedroom.  I turn the kids’ machines about halfway on so it’s not too loud, but they get good coverage from each other.  I turn ours on pretty low- that way it blocks out the noise of people staying up later since it’s still light out, but we can still hear our kids if they need us.  *Tip: I love nature sounds and portability so we can pack them when we travel and not sacrifice too much space or weight.

Last summer, we just didn’t sleep well and assumed that was just the way it had to be.  This year, we learned how to reclaim our rest: black out blinds and white noise.

I’ve had some interesting conversations recently that have led me to believe that there are two types of people.  {Actually, I am quite sure there are many more types than that, but discussing them would ruin this post.  Fair enough?}  Back on topic- there are two types of people.  Techies and tech-snobs.  Take me- I used to be a tech-snob.  I was sure there was a “right” way of doing things, a more natural, organic way that didn’t involve technology.  I was sure I didn’t need a typing class in high school {There were several attractive members of the opposite sex in the computer class that typing was a pre-req for.  Taking typing meant I had to drop the class with the cute boys.  To this day I hint and peck….I’ll let you guess what choice I made.} Case in point- think of Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail.  She had the cute little book shop and refused a computer in lieu of a type-writer.  That’s a tech-snob.  Purists.  {In their minds anyway}.

I said I was a tech-snob.  What changed?  I married and electrical engineer.  I should have known my tech-aversion was doomed when my husband-to-be started making spreadsheets to keep track of our registry.  Little by little, my husband wore me down and I now embrace technology as a help rather than a hindrance.

Two of my favorite tech-devices are GPS/Sat Navs and white noise generators.  We use both on a weekly, if not daily basis- for travel to new places and for sleep {in strange places and for the kids not to hear each other}.  This has drawn not a little attention from our nosey friends, who, if you must know, fall into 1 of 2 categories: techies or tech-snobs.  All the techies have also purchased Sat Navs  and sound machines and the tech-snobs are purists, sure that these devices defy nature and the way things are supposed to be.  They’ve brought up a few concerns I’d like to address:

• GPS/Sat Navs make you forget how to use a map.  This is ridiculous.  The main advantage Sat Navs have is helping you not get lost.  Whether it’s a clear map or a recalculation based on a wrong turn,  a GPS doesn’t erase your memories or abilities.  If you’d rather suck it up on a too-large, impossible to fold map in the car and get lost a lot, then more power to you.  But you’re not a purist- you’re a glutton for punishment.
• White noise generators just make more noise and make it to where you can’t fall asleep without them. I can only speak for my family, but we started using white noise because we were having trouble sleeping.  Now we don’t.  Plus, neither of my children struggles to sleep without white noise.  I use it to block their own noise from each other, but they are fine without it.

Lastly, if anyone is worried about not having a GPS or a sound machine on hand, I’d like to remind everyone how small and easily portable both devices are.  Even on incredibly restrictive flights, we’ve never had a problem packing either or toting them to a friend’s house.  Just sayin’…

Noisy neighbors are the worst...until it's you!

People often complain about noisy neighbors.  Whether it’s squeaky floorboards, slamming doors, domestic disputes, incessant barking or whining, an overly loud TV, or a crying baby, neighbors can be the kiss of death for a good night’s sleep or just simple relaxation.

What if I am that neighbor?

It suddenly hit me today that I am that neighbor.  Since moving overseas, we have parted with our incessantly barking Boxer (we were told Boxers did not bark.  Ha.) and, thank the Lord, we are not yellers (there are more civil ways to fight and get in the last word), but other than those two examples, we are guilty of all the rest.  We didn’t used to be.  We were the picture of model neighbors, even going so far as to collect mail and trim a few extra bushes.  Then, about 5 years in, we had a baby.  And just when she started to settle down, we had another…who still hasn’t fully settled down.  I’m not sure I knew just how loud babies and toddlers could be.  They don’t even try to be loud, they just are.  As infants, they cry for no reason at all (well, they would disagree- they think they have every reason in the world), as older babies, they learn the beauty of music with a pots and pans, and as toddlers, they embrace their new-found freedom of slamming opening and closing doors and jumping off furniture.

And, so I find that I am that dreaded neighbor- the one you don’t want.  I think I forget until we have guests.  You see, my mom flew in yesterday from the States to spend 3 weeks hanging with us and the kids.  I was explaining how most of our neighbors don’t even make eye contact and how they “hate us,” I jokingly quipped.  I really was kidding- who could not like us?  So, this morning, as my jet-lagged mom was dragging out at 8am, she commented she knows why our neighbors hate us: our son screaming at 5:30am.  Yea…that might be it.

So, I should say we live in a  flat, which is a glorified way of saying apartment.  So, we share walls on both sides.  Honestly, I don’t feel bad at all for one set of neighbors- they may be old enough to be my parents, but one works nights (therefore is gone for middle of the night and early morning cries) and her partner parties at all hours to the tune of Johnny Cash (yes, even in Scotland, Johnny has a home).  But, the other neighbors, I do feel bad for- they have done nothing to deserve this.  Neither have any of the poor souls who have flown overseas next to us, for that matter.

Taking a collection for my neighbors

And, so, I am taking up a collection for our neighbors (and others in need).  Since I drown them out with white noise, I would like to return the favor.  For my neighbors, a good white noise generator with lots of options so they can tune us out in diverse and therapeutic ways, dependent upon their moods.  For fellow travel mates on a plane, some ear plugs- not the best acoustic solution, but they will work in a pinch.  And, lastly, for my mom, a portable travel sound machine that aides in recovering from jet lag.

….because an unheard neighbor is a good neighbor.

While beautifully quaint, this Scottish building boasts of all the creaks and groans of any antiquity.

Well, I thought I’d report back on the retreat/ “weekend away.”  I knew it would be all right when there were no name tags.  In fact, the weekend away was more than good- it really was great.  We live in Scotland, so any kind of road trip is a sight to behold and the hour and a half trip south of Aberdeen (our city) to Arbroath was a lovely one.  While I remembered every snack available to man and the portable DVD player, I did of course forget the actual DVDs, a mistake my children did not appreciate at all.

Regardless, we made it to the Windmill Christian Centre and immediately enjoyed the view of the coast and the peaceful surroundings I highly recommend this facility by the way).  It is one large building with 3 or 4 stories and perfected suited for such an event.  The retreat director was thoughtful enough to put our family of 4 further away from the activity hub, but we still had 45 Uni students running up and down the stairs right outside our door, as well as across the hall to the bathroom at all hours of the night.  As I mentioned I would, I brought 2 sound machines in case we split the kids somehow.  Our goal was to cover the college kid noises, as well as the soft little coughs and sighs so typical of small children (yet still distracting to adults trying to sleep).  As it turned out, there was an en-suite bathroom (unusual for Scotland), so we put our son in a pack n play in there as he is the youngest (21 months) and the rest of us stayed in the main room.  We set up both white noise generators at opposite ends of the room, and I can testify that they worked!  Even when our daughter woke up in a coughing fit at 4am, that natural white noise (water fall) washed over my son as if he were in paradise- and indeed he was- blissfully unaware of anything other than sweet rest.  We all slept in and had a great time!

I will say how funny it was to explain to a British man what white noise is.  He was sure it was just another “American thing,” but his kid did not sleep until 8, did he?    Similarly, we had another family use our flat while we were away.  They have just arrived from the States and are still jet-lagging with their 2 small children.  The father’s comment was, “Man that noise thing really works!  My son was finally able to get some much-needed rest.”  Need I say more? (except maybe that the retreat god has been assuaged.  What a relief.”