Sometimes you have to stay silent because
no words can explain what is going on in your mind and your heart. - Anonymous
Working
from home is either a blessing or a curse, based on your working conditions and mindset. Instead of looking at these two
factors separately, it’s pretty safe to say that these two can be intertwined.
In terms of stimuli, an ideal working environment is a quiet one.
A quiet place is often a calm and relaxing place, a place of focus and finding
your inner center.
Productivity
Made Easier
There
are also a lot of ways in which peace and quiet affect one’s productivity. For creatives, whether the place is
quiet or not may determine whether the conditions are suitable for work. When
it comes to conferencing, outside noise can seem unprofessional. This will make
the offer that you’re trying to make less impressive, thus severely restricting
their success.
All
in all, people working from homes need to learn how to reduce the noise in their
homes, that much is clear. Here are a few strategies to help you get there.
Have
“The Talk” With Everyone
The first thing you need to do to ensure peace and quiet in your home is to talk to
the person/person you’re living with. Your family, roommate(s), and significant
others should understand as long as your words come from the right place.
It is
important that you understand a couple of key points:
●
Remember,
they did not choose your profession, and they’re
not the ones responsible for why you’re working from home. This is either
due to your own choices or a special request of your employer.
●
This is their home, as well. They’re also either
paying rent or pulling their own way in other ways. They may also have their
own job, and when they get home, they want to rest and relax.
●
Finally,
when you ask for a favor (and make no mistake, this is a FAVOR that they’re doing you), it is only fair that you
offer something in return. Sure, they may not be allowed to bring people over
while you’re working; they may have to stay a bit quieter during your business
hours, but what happens after?
This
will help you get into the right mindset before this conversation. Remember,
sometimes, how you say it can matter more than what you say. Just remember that
everyone has rights and responsibilities and that balancing
between the two makes all the difference.
Make
Your Room Soundproof
The next thing you need to do is try to restrict
the amount of outside noise reaching your room. There are several things
you can do to make this happen. Here are some of them:
●
The first thing you can do to soundproof a room
is to install acoustic panels. These
panels are relatively inexpensive, and the difference they can make in the
acoustic structure of your home is quite substantial. This way, you’re not just
protecting your work from the outside noises but also reducing the amount of
noise that your office is spreading around the place.
●
Those
with bigger budgets need to invest in
better doors and windows. Internal doors are seldom impressive, but if you
see this home office set up as a long-term thing, it might not be premature to
make this investment.
●
Keep the window closed. The only way you will do this
efficiently (and still make the conditions indoor bearable) is to invest in
better ventilation. An AC unit or an air purifier can also make a world of
difference.
●
Add a rug. A rug can reduce the volume of foot
traffic quite drastically. In fact, it might also be a great idea to add a
runner rug to a hallway right in front of your home office.
This
way, you will limit the input of all the outside noise. Just remember that the position of the room that you choose as
a home also matters. So, if you have a chance, pick the room facing the
backyard rather than the one facing the street.
Look
for Quieter Equipment
Contrary
to popular belief, people are not necessarily distracted only by other people’s
noise. There is a lot of personal equipment that you can get to keep the volume down. For instance:
●
Buying
a noise-canceling headset can help you cancel out distractions coming from the
world around you. In some cases, this alone would be enough to help you get the
setting you need. Just bear in mind that others in the conference call might
still be able to hear the noise caused by your roommates/family.
●
Getting
a silent keyboard can also be quite
helpful. For a lot of people, buying a mechanical keyboard is a must. Seeing as
how these keyboards are already a bit more expensive, why not go all the way in
and pay a bit extra to get a silent version.
●
Keep
in mind that some people have a more extreme
auditory sensitivity, which means that they can even get distracted by a
ticking clock. In that case, you can go for a digital clock instead of an
analog one. Also, whenever buying equipment, it’s best if you can check just
how loud it is.
The biggest problem with choosing proper equipment lies in the fact that you
already have a long list of quality-related features to consider.
This
means that their volume usually falls further down on the priority list. Still,
if you’re determined to make your home office situation work, you can’t afford
to overlook such an important factor.
In
Conclusion
From
all this, it’s more than clear that reducing noise in and around your home office benefits more than just your
productivity.
When
applied properly, these strategies can also improve your quality of coexistence
and your relationships with your roommates/family.
On top of this, your quality of work and your overall satisfaction with your
working environment will increase drastically. The above-listed improvements
are so simple and systemic that executing these strategies shouldn’t be too
costly or too difficult.
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