Ask HN: How do you manage to focus in a noisy environment?

4 points·sh87··4 comments

I've been trying to get work done in noisy environments at work (co-workers in an open office) and home (someone watching tv in the living room) and its just too much of a mental drain. I don't like to hole myself in a corner to 'work'. Anyone else been in the same boat with an effective way out ?

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Personally, I benefited greatly from investing in a quality pair of noise cancelling headphones, and I use them regularly both in an open office situation, and at home if other distracting activity is going on.

Apparently our brains can only decode ~1.5 conversations at a time, and noise that is distracting you, whether from TV commercials or others speaking, takes up valuable bandwidth.

At my place we got Active Noise Canceling Headphones as part of the default IT package (with a phone, laptop, extra screens, etc.).

OP should probably ask around if others at their office have the same issues, and if so make it known up the chain of command.

FWIW though, before we had our ANC headphones, I brought my own headphones at work, just as I bought a mouse pad and a mouse for work. Input/Output peripherals (actually, anything that is NOT storage) is less of a security threat, and you can pick whatever fits you best..!

It’s not what you asked, but you might want to consider changing employers or working from home.

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