Noises Disrupt Learning and Productivity

Whether it’s a student or a co-worker sitting next to you, we all know how annoying it is to deal with their “noises” throughout the day.  Does it negatively affect your performance?  Absolutely.

While most students don’t have classrooms to themselves (except at Merit Academy) or offices for just one person, you need to address the noise maker so you can co-exist peacefully. We’ve all had co-workers whose voices were so loud we couldn’t think while they were talking. And in class, there’s always that annoying student who doesn’t blow their nose but sniffles every 30 seconds. Gross!

One of my students, told me that after taking the SAT, he had to cancel his scores because he couldn’t concentrate during the exam.  Apparently, the student in front of him was blatantly cheating and the proctor didn’t notice.  My student said that he couldn’t help himself from watching the student cheat and looking at the proctor to see why the proctor wasn’t paying attention.  Even though he really needed to do well on the SAT, he couldn’t finish the sections in time with this distraction and knew he had blown the entire exam.  So sad.

So how do you deal with noisy, distracting people?

First, try to relocate your desk or seating assignment to remedy the situation.  If that doesn’t work, ask your teacher or supervisor to address the issue with the offender.  You can also get noise cancelling headphones to drown out loud sounds as long as it isn’t in a lecture hall where you need to hear the professor. Your productivity and success depends on your ability to filter out distractions. Be proactive to create the best learning and working environment for you.

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