The Early Bird Gets the…Jackhammer?

A jackhammer? In my office building? At 6 o’clock  in the morning? Seriously? It sounds like the ceiling is going to come down around my ears! Sigh. Why is it that something unexpected always derails you when you head into the office early to get things done before the general hubbub begins? It’s Murphey’s law or something. It’s times like these that I wish to goodness my boss would put in a VoiceArrest system. It’s a good thing I have a white noise generator on my desk, or this early appearance at the office would be in vain.

What is Sound Masking?

Sound masking is a solution to speech privacy issues that is increasing in popularity with small and large businesses. The cost of distractions is incredible. Did you know that it can take up to 25 minutes to refocus after a distraction? And did you know that there are usually two subsequent distractions for every initial distraction? To address this issue, good managers are finding that one effective way to minimize distractions and maximize effectiveness (thereby increasing productivity) is to use sound masking.

Why I Love Sound Masking

Distractions are one huge reason to invest in a sound masking system, but another reason I use white noise is that it actually provides some privacy for calls I need to make. I often discuss contracts and financial information over the phone. What is it about money conversations, anyway? People just can’t help but listen, so in order to create some kind of speech privacy, the white noise generator is a necessary desk accessory. Just a touch of white noise creates a bit of a curtain around my desk and allows the conversations I have to be more private, less obtrusive and, well, you guessed it… less distracting to those around me.

So if you get to the office and find that the noise is more than you can take, talk to your manager about a VoiceArrest system, or invest in a white noise generator. Sound masking just might make the difference in making that deadline…or not.

So be honest…are you the noise maker in the office? Or are you the one praying for the noise to stop?Are you the finger tapper? Or are you the one about to go insane from the display of tiny percussion skills? To be sure, you are either creating the need for white noise or begging for white noise to be introduced into the office environment.

The more I think about it, the more shocked I am that not every office employs a voicearrest system. In my field, we are always running against a deadline. We are constantly having to make adjustments that require quick and focused thinking. We need to be able to collaborate when necessary, but be able to hunker down and bang out the work needed to meet the deadline. Interruptions and distractions cost time and productivity — time  and loss of productivity costs money. Oh, wait a minute…didn’t I just describe EVERY field of work? I know you can identify.

The thing is, sound masking is such an easy and practical addition to any office. The term sound masking simply refers to the practice of employing white noise to even out the general noise of an area, thus making it possible to tune out what is going on around you and focus on the task at hand. Sound masking can be accomplished by something as simple as a small white noise machine on a desk, or by something as large scale as a whole office voicearrest system. Either way, the use of sound masking reduces stress and frustration and increases productivity.  A recent study found that on the average worker is interrupted by some kind of distraction every 3 minutes! When you consider that it can take up to twenty-five minutes to get back to the original task, the lost productive time is astounding.  Considering sound masking is a no brainer for a manager who has to keep the bottom line in mind.

If you are a manager and want to increase productivity and reduce distractions, consider a voicearrest system and treat your employees to increased productivity courtesy of sound masking. If you are not a manager, consider suggesting sound masking to your supervisor — when your productivity increases and your distractions decrease due to a little white noise, you will be glad you did!

If one works at home, one shouldn’t need a white noise machine, right? Alas…this is not the case. Sound masking is crucial for me during my off-site work time. Friday is my work from home day. And as dreamy as it is to go straight to my home office from the gym without bothering to change out of my workout clothes, working at home can actually prove to be pretty distracting.

First, there are the kids. If it’s a rainy day, I’m stuck with the noise from the playroom. Bless the nanny’s little heart, but she cannot muffle the squeals and laughter coming from my 2-year-old and her friends — nor should she! Then there are the upstairs neighbors, who I am convinced are actually elephants in disguise. With virtually no insulation between their floor and our ceiling, it would be foolish to even think about working without white noise. I haven’t even mentioned my next door neighbor who works in his garden (read huge farm plot) until noon, tilling, edging, squeaky-wheelbarrowing right outside my window (and truly, I am intensely grateful for the yummy produce filling my refrigerator). Nor have I mentioned the high school a block away to and from which high school students walk at all times of day (why is it that teenagers seem to be so completely unaware of volume control?). Suffice it to say, even when I work from home, I need to employ sound masking to ensure that I will be able to focus and produce enough to warrant the privilege of off-site working.

Enter my trusty sound machine. When I bounce into the office energized by exercise endorphins and my cup of yerba mate,  I do two things while I wait for my ancient laptop to boot up —

1) Open my window shades and let in the light (maybe even open the window itself for a breath of fresh air as I work).

2) Flip the switch on my sound machine, filling the room with a subtle and gentle hum that effectively drowns out any possible distraction.

Productive Friday, here I come! I might even be able to knock off early and hit the wading pool with my two-year-old — surely there will be more squeals and laughter then, and I will have no need to mask them!

While it’s obvious that sound masking is a must for the bustling office, it is just as necessary in a home office. Before you work another day at home and wonder why you don’t get anything done, purchase and use a white noise machine and watch your productivity soar.

Why is it that what my coworker is working on in the next workstation is just way more interesting than the document I am creating? Without some kind of white noise, I hear every conversation, every keyboard tap, every exclamation of epiphany or dismay. My thoughts race ahead to solutions to her problem, not mine. The storm in my brain rains down ideas on her desk instead of on my computer screen. The noise in my own head is deafening and drowns out any chance I have of being productive.

In my office, with our open floor plan, this collaboration can be a huge benefit for the one needing the ideas…in this case, my coworker and her oh-so-interesting project. But what about me and my document that must be completed by end of day? With the distractions of my coworker’s project, you can bet end of day is not going to happen for me. Unless…

Enter my own productivity solution. See, I have a sound machine on my desk. Our office does not use large scale sound masking (more’s the pity), so I decided to take matters into my own hands. My little sound machine does not bother anyone else as it hums along on my desk. In fact, my coworkers who sit nearby have come to love our little friend. We can’t hear each other unless we want to hear each other. Our brains stay focused on our own work rather than running full speed toward something on someone else’s desk. And our own end of day deadlines get met — with quality work, no less!

With experts finding that it takes up to 25 minutes to coral your thoughts and refocus once they have been pulled elsewhere, sound masking has become an essential tool for the productive office. It’s still amazing to me that a device the size of an alarm clock can produce enough gentle background sound to effectively create walls around my workspace. And I freely admit that my white noise machine has saved the day on numerous occasions when my brain did not have enough willpower to remain focused on its own.

With workstations in close proximity in most offices, sound masking is a brilliant solution. Even just using a sound machine on the desk will absolutely increase productivity and reduce noise and the stress and frustration that it produces.

So, I know we usually talk about the office and work distractions, but I just had to share my recent monster truck rally experience and how my white noise machines saved the

Monster Truck Rally vs White Noise Machine

day. And, no, I did not go to one of those huge stadiums full of frantic people screaming and whooping every time a huge truck smashed into a bus in the figure-eight race. Why would I do that when I can stay at home and watch the next door neighbors for free? That’s right, my neighbors own and race monster trucks right in their own backyard. I’m not kidding.

After last night, I am blessing the day we purchased white noise machines, one for each child’s bedroom. Up until now, this sound masking effort has only been put to the test by movies in the living room while the children sleep, late dinners with friends after the kids are in bed, and the occasional midnight music enthusiast bassing down the street just beyond my girls’ windows. But last night — oh, last night. I don’t know what precipitated the circus over there…maybe the sun setting later, the weather being warmer, or just a hard day at the office. In any case, the monster truck rally held next door was epic. Between the loud music, the loud laughter, and the loud engines, it’s a wonder that anyone in the neighborhood got any sleep. Who knows? Maybe they didn’t! But my girls did. Oh, yes, with those two little white noise gems humming away on their bedside tables, my girls slept like the sweet little babies they are, with not even a small cry or a catch in their steady breathing.

Forgive me if I sound smug, but sound masking has saved our lives again. Maybe one night of sleep sounds like nothing, but to parents of young children, parents who still have to get up the next morning and try to make it through a day at the office with all its distractions, parents who still have to be productive, one night’s destroyed sleep can wreck a whole week. Truly, I cannot sing the praises of our two little sound machines. They worked last night so I didn’t have to, and we are all happier for their effort.

Now with summer approaching, I’m sure I can look forward to many long, loud nights of engines revving and brakes grinding as the monster truck rallies continue next door. But I won’t worry because I have sound masking on my side — monster trucks, do your worst; my white noise machines will win every time!

So, whether it’s at home or at the office, make sure you have a white noise machine nearby. Sound masking is the way to a better night’s sleep and a more productive day’s work!