Though a previous job required me to travel frequently, I often spent at least 20 hours a week back at the office working in a very small space. A few hours a week, I shared this confined space with another person. Our desks faced opposite walls. I could hear every move my office mate made - shuffling papers, striking each key on her computer, talking on the phone, clearing her throat, or visiting with people who walk by our office space. My office mate also asked frequent questions. Each time she rolled her chair over to the side of my desk, my concentration was interrupted. She would wait for me to stop what I was doing so that I could give her my attention. As I tried to finish my train of thought before pausing, Icould feel her breathing and hear her wiggling in her chair within the small area I had carved out as my own.
I understood that we did not have enough office space for all the employees in our company. We were all sharing offices. Further, I understood that distractions were a part of our work environment. I just happened to share my office with someone who needed mentoring; I knew it was important to provide assistance.
I did have some options as to how I dealt with the distractions. I started wearing headphones with pleasant background music to block out the distractions when I needed to concentrate. Second, I set boundaries as to when I was available to help. When my office mate arrived at her desk, I greeted her and then asked if she had any questions before I got back to my work. I explained to her that I wanted to help, but I needed to keep my mind on my own projects once I started them. This approach worked at the time.
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