In an open office floor plan communication opportunities may be high, but it comes at the expense of privacy and environment control. The Brilliant Report came out with some tips to help those struggling to work in such layouts:
For when you need a moment without an audience:
To avoid self-consciousness and self-censoring, find private spaces to talk to your colleagues: go on a walk around the block or a trip to the coffee shop, or slip into an empty conference room.
For when the distractions come too often:
They recommend that workers set aside a block of time each day when they are not to be disturbed. In order to minimize cognitive load, this period should last for a while—on the order of several hours.
And for those tricky times where you need something to block out the background noise, but are unsure of what to replace it with:
Classical or instrumental music enhances mental performance more than music with lyrics. Music can make rote or routine tasks (think folding laundry or filing papers) less boring and more enjoyable. Runners who listen to music go faster. But when you need to give learning and remembering your full attention, silence is golden.
This post was originally published on 99u.com.
Sasha VanHoven is the assistant editor of 99u.com.
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