My way of saying DO NOT DISTURB
Saturday, December 22, 2007
I can get distracted easily by noise. That's why when I'm rushing up on something at work, I put on my headphones to block out unnecessary noise around me. I actually have a sign at my desk saying "Putting on my headphones is my way of saying DO NOT DISTURB". Some people still don't get the message, though, and still poke me endlessly until I put down my headphones just so they can ask me some unimportant and petty things.
Anyway, a lot of people at work enjoy listening to their iPods while doing their stuff and they use earphones for that. Earphones don't work that much for me in blocking out outside noise, even when I'm listening to Megadeth or AC/DC. I'd like to try, though, the iPod headphones from Quiet Headphones. Aside from being designed with the iPod in mind, these earphones ensure that you hear your music from your iPod, and not the one from the guy in the next cubicle.
I'd like to have one of their noise reduction headphones. Imagine being able to minimize the tone of your officemate's annoying shrill voice. Or shut out the voice of your (or somebody else's) boss when he/she's yelling at someone and hear your favorite rock vocalist's melodic screams instead.
-10 to Distraction, +10 to Productivity. Quest completed! Hehehe!
Anyway, a lot of people at work enjoy listening to their iPods while doing their stuff and they use earphones for that. Earphones don't work that much for me in blocking out outside noise, even when I'm listening to Megadeth or AC/DC. I'd like to try, though, the iPod headphones from Quiet Headphones. Aside from being designed with the iPod in mind, these earphones ensure that you hear your music from your iPod, and not the one from the guy in the next cubicle.
I'd like to have one of their noise reduction headphones. Imagine being able to minimize the tone of your officemate's annoying shrill voice. Or shut out the voice of your (or somebody else's) boss when he/she's yelling at someone and hear your favorite rock vocalist's melodic screams instead.
-10 to Distraction, +10 to Productivity. Quest completed! Hehehe!
's thoughts
were ambushed at 
Unfortunately, noise reduction headphones don't do much for voice frequencies; they're mostly good for blocking out low frequencies like airplane engine rumble.
You're welcome to download the "Quiet Please" poster from http://chatterblocker.com. The site also has a couple of white papers on coping with conversational distraction at work, and a demo of the app I wrote based on my own frustration with this problem.