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I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

nytimes.com

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Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#31

Post by benmorris »

I coded from essentially an open warehouse for several years with shop noise, sewing machines, various noise generating machines, packing tape noise and people. Talking on the phone was difficult, let alone CODING. I honestly feel like I might have some noise sensitivity complex from working in that environment for so long. Tried not to complain, but my noise cancelling headphones were the only thing that allowed me to be productive. I eventually got an office and that helped considerably. I don't work for that company anymore.

I work from home now and it is the opposite spectrum, I get total piece and quiet, I love it. I can't say enough about a good pair of over the ear noise cancelling headphones though if you find yourself sensitive to noise.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#32

Post by cr4zy »

I wear earplugs. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033YLEGO?ie=UTF8&ref_=pd_...

At work they're just enough for me to be able to concentrate while still allowing people to get my attention without raising their voice. At which time I take them out and repeat what I heard of their question.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#33

Post by bhauer »

jtreminio wrote: post #15

I tell every developer buddy I have that they should get a pair of Fuck Off Headphones [0]. They need to be big enough that people can't try to say, "Oh, I didn't see you had headphones on". I work from home now, and they work just as well for keeping my family at bay as they did for chatty coworkers when I had to be in an office. [0] http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Gaming-Headset-Surro...

This is exactly what I do, as do many folks at my office. I just don't use quite as colorful language. :)

The only downside is that if you use them too much, you might get the reputation for being someone who doesn't have time for questions from colleagues.

At home, I just recently replaced my fraying HD280 Pros with a pair of HD380 Pros. Recommended!

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#34

Post by gyepi »

benmorris wrote: post #31

I coded from essentially an open warehouse for several years with shop noise, sewing machines, various noise generating machines, packing tape noise and people. Talking on the phone was difficult, let alone CODING. I honestly feel like I might have some noise sensitivity complex from working in that environment for so long. Tried not to complain, but my noise cancelling headphones were the only thing that allowed me…

Many years ago, I had cubicle next to phone order takers while writing software for the company. Prior to that I had worked from home for several years so it was a difficult adjustment for me. After repeatedly asking for an office and being rebuffed, I offered to quit instead and got an office the next day. I think my productivity shot through the roof then. I left as soon as I finished the software; the environment was simply not condusive to thinking.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#35

Post by aculver »

If you're the sort of person who thrives in a quiet atmosphere or is really sensitive to sound, I can't recommend Bose QC-15 noise canceling headphones enough. They've totally transformed my life and I still lament for the days of productivity I lost while living in ignorance of their existence.

Even when I'm not listening to music, they take the edge off of the all the sound and noise around me so that even conversations happening within earshot aren't distracting, even though I could tune in and understand what people are saying if I wanted to. It's pretty amazing.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#36

Post by InXorWeTrust »

IvyMike wrote: post #21

So I can't find an online reference to this anywhere, but years ago I read a relevant anecdote about (I'm pretty sure) Isaac Asimov. He used to go into the most noisy environments he could find to write; places like a noisy restaurant or cafe. He found that this forced him to focus in a way that a quiet environment did not. For example, in a quiet environment, you occasionally still hear sounds, but it's rare enough…

> places like a noisy restaurant or cafe.

This is an opinion, but it seems this can make it easier for some. Because it's a constant noise that doesn't often change much, you eventually tune it out. It feels like it's the sudden change in ambient noise that causes a break in concentration. I use white noise, or a rain noise generator (they both do well for me) to get this same effect while studying.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#37

Post by pessimizer »

IvyMike wrote: post #21

So I can't find an online reference to this anywhere, but years ago I read a relevant anecdote about (I'm pretty sure) Isaac Asimov. He used to go into the most noisy environments he could find to write; places like a noisy restaurant or cafe. He found that this forced him to focus in a way that a quiet environment did not. For example, in a quiet environment, you occasionally still hear sounds, but it's rare enough…

I have this same problem. In a quiet environment, I'm distracted by every single noise. In a busy, noisy environment, I'm undistractable.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#38

Post by michaelwww »

blhack wrote: post #25
IvyMike wrote: post #21

So I can't find an online reference to this anywhere, but years ago I read a relevant anecdote about (I'm pretty sure) Isaac Asimov. He used to go into the most noisy environments he could find to write; places like a noisy restaurant or cafe. He found that this forced him to focus in a way that a quiet environment did not. For example, in a quiet environment, you occasionally still hear sounds, but it's rare enough…

I code in bars for exactly this reason.

I'll never hear the word 'barcode' the same again.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#39

Post by anaphor »

IvyMike wrote: post #21

So I can't find an online reference to this anywhere, but years ago I read a relevant anecdote about (I'm pretty sure) Isaac Asimov. He used to go into the most noisy environments he could find to write; places like a noisy restaurant or cafe. He found that this forced him to focus in a way that a quiet environment did not. For example, in a quiet environment, you occasionally still hear sounds, but it's rare enough…

There has been some research done into why this is (I'm citing a personality course I took), and it could be because some people's brains have a lack of stimulation, and others are overstimulated. The people lacking stimulation find it easier to think in noisy environments because they're full of stimuli. This might also explain some of the traits of introverted/extroverted people.

Re: I’m Thinking. Please. Be Quiet.

#40

Post by iyulaev »

IIRC Peopleware pointed out a study where they compared two groups of programmers, those working in a quiet environment and those working with music. Given identical assignments, both groups completed it in roughly the same (median) amount of time. However, the assignment was such that there was a "shortcut", i.e. if you thought hard enough about the requirements a much easier solution was possible. Only the programmers in the quiet group got this shortcut. Thought this was interesting.
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