There's a reason the dinner hour is called the "witching hour."
Office Noise…Noise at Home
Office noise is a problem for many. You may be one of the lucky few who thrives on chaos and mayhem…if so, you probably love deadlines and working up until the last minute. Good for you. For the rest of us, extra noise and stress is just that- stress. Whether I’m working on a project or just trying to cook dinner, lots of voices in my ears (adult or otherwise) leads to what my husband dubbed “sensory overload.” Rather than pushing through and finishing my task, I just shut down. When it’s just dinner on the line, it’s more of an inconvenience than a real problem. However, when it’s work-related, shutting down isn’t exactly an option.
There are a variety of noise coverage solutions out there. I’m sure noise cancelling headphones are awesome, but I don’t want to spend $250. As for ear plugs, if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times- at best, they make my ears itchy. At worst, they make them incredibly sore. Plus, when I work from home, keeping 2 choking hazards out of reach of my 2-year-old is more challenging than it might seem. So, I typically opt for a good white noise generator. I run it loud enough to cover irritating distractions, but low enough that I can answer the phone (or tend to a child’s needs when that arises). Essentially, I can tune out the world, but still be responsive when I need to be.
Is noise a problem for you? If so, what do you do about it?
