Reduce the Noise

Summer vacation is coming. My family and I are halfway out the door to explore a new part of the world, but before I go, here is a short article from our Work Smarter series that will hopefully help those of you still struggling at the office to stay sane.

There are few things that induce stress as much as interruptions. Whether it’s kids, annoying alarm-clocks, or friendly colleagues, getting interrupted is one of the primary stress factors at work, and wastes as much as 581 hrs of our busy lives each year.

But it’s not as simple as that. As social creatures, being in a setting with other people also reduces stress, and it’s therefore not so much a question of avoiding interruptions altogether, but of controlling when interruptions happen so we can minimize their negative effects.

Understand your work modes

We all have different modes of work that we switch between during the day. Although you may not notice it, even our offices are often designed around work modes, to support a healthy work-environment.

There are variations on how people define these work modes, but I find the following to be the most helpful:

Focused – You need to deep dive into something on your own. No distractions, no messages.
Available – You are working individually, but available for contact with others, checking mail, and chatting with coworkers.
Engaged – You are in active synchronous interaction with a specific group of people in a meeting, brainstorm, or group chat.
Resetting – You are clearing your head and relaxing to make space for the next task. Either alone or with colleagues.

As you may have spotted, a lot of this is about managing the balance between momentum and agility.

When we are focused or engaged, and then suddenly interrupted, we lose momentum. We waste valuable time getting back into the groove again and if it happens regularly, we get frustrated and stressed.

When we are available, we are mentally agile. We are open to inspiration and inspired by interruptions. We actively seek out colleagues to “hang out with” and share our thoughts and feelings.

When we are resetting, some people prefer being with other people and others prefer solitude. In both cases the principle is the same, we need to control interruptions to get full value of our time.

This is why knowing your work modes, and controlling when interruptions happen, is crucial to a better workday.

Control interruptions

There are many practical things we can do to control when interruptions can happen.

At the office

Offices have areas that are designed for specific work modes.

The desk area is supposed to be a focus zone, but in open offices, this is often not respected or hard to achieve. If so, get a big headset with anti-noise, move temporarily to a different location, use the cafeteria, or take a day working from home.

The the open areas, like coffee islands, cafeteria, or soft furniture, are for being available or resetting. If you prefer to reset in solitude, take a walk around the office or a short walk.

The meeting rooms are designed for engaging with others. You can use the open areas in a pinch, but please respect that an impromptu meeting or brainstorm should not happen at the desks.

On your phone or workstation

Most platforms have tools for preventing interruptions. On Android it is called Focus mode, on iPhone/iPad it is called Focus, on Windows 10 there is Focus Assist and on Mac it is also called Focus. Use this actively to avoid interruptions.

In Microsoft Teams, first, create a Focus plan for the week, so you set aside time in advance for getting things done. Second, turn off notifications during meetings and calls, so you do not get those pesky pop-ups during calls. And finally, familiarize yourself with setting your availability status to help others disturb you less.

In Microsoft Outlook, turn off notifications on new messages to avoid getting disturbed unnecessarily. This will not influence meeting reminders, which are actually useful.

These are just a few of the things you can do to control interruptions and reduce the noise for yourself. However, creating a great workplace experience is not just about individuals, but about all of us working smarter together.

Here are a few small habits, that will help both yourself and everyone else keep the noise down in the Workplace:

Keep your phone on mute, permanently – A ringing phone is invasive to everyone around you. Picking up a voice and video call is even more disruptive. Keep it on mute and don’t feel the need to answer instantly. Instead, schedule time for checking unanswered calls.
Use chat as much as possible – Chat is the least disruptive and most effective form of communication we have. Initiate one-to-one conversations with a chat message, ask your question directly to save time, ask for 5 mins if you need to talk, etc.
Replace meetings with group chats – Group chats are like meetings but require less focus and are more effective. You can contribute when it makes sense, leave when it is irrelevant and come back when needed. You also keep a main thread of everything that has been said automatically.
Avoid emails as much as possible – Emails allow you to “park your ideas and send them away”, but you force everyone to then have to decipher them, deal with the fragments of people replying to subsets of people. The total noise created is completely disproportionate to the benefit you get. So don’t send mails unless you need a formal record, and don’t read them when they arrive. Schedule a half hour to “check emails” in your calendar every day instead.
Don’t talk around desks – If you need to talk to someone, ask for 5 mins and step away, and if that is not an option, sit down and talk quietly. You can have online meetings at desks but try to keep you voice down and if it’s you are presenting, book a room. Think of desks like a library. People are generally trying to read or write there.
Use texts for emergency alerts – Phone texts are old fashioned and invade your private life, but they are short, easy to read, and therefore a lot less disruptive. So, when speed is key, use a good old-fashioned text.

These are just a few small habits that will reduce noise for everyone. Finding smarter ways to work together is an ongoing process that we are all involved in, so what do you do, to reduce the noise in your life?

Let me know in the comments below or reach out directly. I’m always interested in learning more.