Linked – Why You Can Focus in a Coffee Shop but Not in Your Open Office
Having worked in all kinds of places, this makes total sense.
So why do so many of us hate our open offices? The quiet chatter of colleagues and the gentle thrum of the HVAC should help us focus. The problem may be that, in our offices, we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’ conversations or from being interrupted while we’re trying to focus. Indeed, the EEG researchers found that face-to-face interactions, conversations, and other disruptions negatively affect the creative process. By contrast, a coworking space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of ambient noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.
When I traveled, or when I worked at home, I would get a ton more accomplished if the TV was on, or music was playing. When that wasn’t enough, a Starbucks worked great. Total quiet wasn’t great, but all of that noise had one thing in common, it wasn’t interrupting me and requiring my attention. It was just noise. People you work with in an open office, well, it’d be kind of rude to treat them like background noise, even though many times, you have to.
Sorry if I seem rude, coworkers.
https://hbr.org/2017/10/why-you-can-focus-in-a-coffee-shop-but-not-in-your-open-office
