Geek-Cube: How Not to Be Seen
Do you ever have a day when you don’t want to talk to anyone and pray that no one will come talk to you? Perhaps you’re in a foul mood or feel sick, or maybe you just want to be extra productive and not have anything break up your flow. Maybe you’re just playing on Facebook and don’t want to get caught. Well, there are ways to not be seen (or bothered). Now keep in mind, some of these might leave a bad impression, but they’ve worked for me most of the time. So perhaps this is more of a “how to dissuade people from bothering you”, but my inner Monty Python fan had to use the title.
There are a few goodies to keep in your cubicle that will (hopefully) keep people from bothering you, or at least give the solid impression that you don’t want to be bothered. The first thing to have is a mirror. It can be something as simple as a cheap little mirror from the dollar store, or one of ThinkGeek’s CHIMP Rearview Monitor Mirrors. Either way, it’s always good when you can discreetly look over your shoulder to see who is watching or approaching. It’s either that or literally keep looking over your shoulder and draw some suspicion. Then again, you should be working, not playing Plants vs Zombies on your iPhone.
When I’m incredibly busy or at least want to pretend that I’m incredibly busy, I always put a sign on my cubicle that says “Working on an important project. Please do not disturb.” When people would come up and start talking and then see the sign, if they made the “Oh, you’re working” comment, I would reply with “Yes, I am. Email me.” and that usually ended things. Of course, I’d almost always have my headphones on so I could listen to podcasts. This way if someone kept talking to me, I had a convenient excuse to ignore them. (Note: This always came in handy when this one coworker who irritated me and never wanted to talk about work would try to strike up a conversation about my personal life when I was busy.) A little juvenile, perhaps, but it is nonetheless effective.
Since our computers were all networked, I would sometimes get permission to work in one of the small conference rooms that had a PC. I’d really only ever get permission when I was working on something important, but it did help me get a lot of work done without being interrupted by coworkers. I also started screening my phone calls at my desk or asking friends at work to just send me an email if they wanted my attention. When I left all of my communication to written, it always gave me something to refer back to and a way to not take out a bad mood or impatience on other people. Another very good thing about email is that if you’re dealing with a difficult coworker who tends to make problems for you, you’ll have a ‘paper’ trail that you can refer back to in case something happens.
If you have flexible lunches and breaks, you can rearrange those times to take yours when more people are in the office, and be there when others are on their breaks. I always did this when I had a lot of work to catch up on or was in a bad mood. Don’t be afraid to say something to someone if they’re coming by to chat when you don’t feel chatty. If you don’t feel well, say something. And in the end, if you feel very ill or very irritated, if you have the time, you can always just go home. That is part of what Paid Time Off (PTO) is for, after all.
Face it, we’re all human and there are days when we are not at our best. Even if they don’t want to acknowledge it, other people know this, too. Don’t be afraid to isolate yourself every so often, especially when you’re afraid you might snap at someone. Don’t hesitate if you have to schedule a time to help someone with a problem. Prioritize your work, focus on the most important, and by all means, if you can’t say something tactfully, don’t say it at all (at least until you can be tactful). When you feel it’s you against the world, sometimes it’s better to not be seen.
Geek-Cube is a weekly column about integrating your geek life with your work environment.
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Cape Rust
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