Mute the world.

If you work within the current craze of open office space, or even in a home office or on the beach, you know what it’s like to try to focus when there’s activity and distraction surrounding you.

Kerry and I have separate adjacent offices but they’re not hermetically sealed so sound travels and it’s easy to get distracted. When you’re trying to do creative work or focus for productivity, it can be downright annoying when the noise around you breaks your concentration and you have to start again.

A few years ago, Kerry finally cried ‘Uncle!” and bought noise-cancelling headphones. They literally changed her (work) life! They weren’t cheap but she swears by them. In fact, when I walk into her office and talk to her, she cannot hear me if she is using those headphones.

Hers are a few years old and still going strong. Now the manufacturer makes wireless noise-cancelling headphones to, both over the ear and in-ear. If distraction is interfering with your productivity, these might solve your problem.