Ever worked at an office where everyone insists on shaking your hand (men) or giving you a peck on the cheek (women) twice a day?
You wear foam ear plugs at work?
I have foam ear tips on my ear buds and wear them without music playing so co-workers are none the wiser while I get full sound isolation. It works out quiet well for me, and pulling one out to engage with anyone is effortless.
" Eliminate distractions, and I mean eliminate For a long time there’s been a fad in our industry of having open workspaces. While being right next to someone and being able to just look over and ask a question is ideal for communication, it can be the opposite for concentration. Headphones with loud music don’t solve the problem either. What I believe works best is quiet. Can you imagine taking a final exam in college with someone blasting music? You can’t concentrate at your best when any sort of external stimuli is demanding some of your attention. It needs to be quiet, and free of any visual distraction as well. People walking by, a television, anything like this should be avoided for you to stay in the zone. If your office doesn’t have a quiet distraction free area to work in, take it up with your manager. I’m personally lucky enough to get to choose when to work from home, and I often do so when I have a large piece of work cut out for me that I don’t need to communicate much more on."