How To Create Calm in a Chaotic Workplace

A lively office can be the perfect way to keep team morale high and the day ticking over. 

But on occasions, a loud office can feel chaotic and the distractions of your surroundings can hinder productivity and the outcome of your work.

A survey conducted by UK financial management service, Think Money, found that a third of employees are distracted at work for up to 3 hours a day. For an employer, this statistic can be detrimental to the overall success of the company if staff productivity is at a low.

For some people, an office full of life is great motivation for the day. But for others, the chaos of a busy, noisy office can be over-stimulating and make it much harder to concentrate on important tasks.

Creating calm in the workplace is important in order not to take the chaos of the day home or end up with continuous negative feelings about your job. 

If you find yourself struggling to focus in a chaotic office, we’ve got 7 top tips to help you create calm within your workplace. 

Speak to your employer

In 2022, the Office for National Statistics reported that 53% of people asked said that working from home either full time or on a hybrid model led to less distractions throughout the day.  

If you work more efficiently alone or in a quiet space, speak to your employer to see what measures can be put in place.

You may ask to relocate to a quieter part of the office, or spend a few days a week working from home if this is an option.  

All employers will desire productive employees, so accommodating your request will not only benefit you, but the business as a whole.  

Take regular breaks

One of the most important ways to regain focus in a chaotic workplace is to take regular breaks.

If you’re at your desk and the surrounding noise is overwhelming you, remove yourself from the situation to refocus your mind. 

A change of scene during your working day is vital for maintaining performance and productivity. 

Effective breaks will significantly reduce stress levels and help you create calm amongst the chaos. 

Plan your day

If your office environment feels chaotic, the best way to stay in control is to plan the day ahead.

Setting yourself clear goals for the day will keep you on track with your workload, even when it feels like there is a lot going on around you. 

We advise setting yourself realistic, short-term goals so that you benefit from the satisfaction of completing these tasks. 

If factors within your personal life are increasing your stress levels, making your work day as chaos free as possible is key to not feeling overwhelmed. 

Identify and manage your stress points

Working in a chaotic environment can induce feelings of stress for multiple different reasons.

Whether distractions at work are causing you to fall behind on your workload, or you’re unable to focus on the task at hand, the stress caused by this can be detrimental to both your physical and mental health.

Identifying triggers that cause you feelings of stress is a recommended way to manage your stress points. 

Paying attention to stress triggers that occur in the office environment, will allow you to practice techniques to effectively handle these situations. 

Triggers might include an increase in noise, a messy environment or a crowded space. 

Plug yourself in

If your employer allows it, plugging yourself in to your own music device is a great way to drown out background noise and distractions.

We advise using a wellness app such as Calm, which provides users with a range of meditation music to help them focus and destress.

Plugging yourself into your own music gives you control over your surrounding noise levels and means you can create a happy and calm work environment for yourself. 

Tidy your work environment

A chaotic workplace isn’t just a result of noise pollution within the office, an untidy and disorganised office can also feel chaotic. 

Physical mess is known to overload our minds with excessive stimuli and as a result causes our senses to work overtime on stimuli that don’t matter to us. 

Working within a messy environment draws our attention away from the important tasks that should be focussed on. This can result in falling behind on work and therefore induce feelings of stress later down the line. 

We advise maintaining a clean and tidy work environment in order to work productively. Even if your office is untidy from time to time, keeping your personal desk space in order will offer you a calming environment to get your work done. 

What should I do if I work from home? 

Whether you work from home full time, or on a hybrid basis, creating a calm environment at home is just as important as it is in the office. 

In order to do so, make sure you are working from a comfortable, quiet and clean space with minimal distractions.

If you have young children and you’re in a position to do so, we advise arranging child care for the days you are working from home. This way you won’t be distracted by them whilst you’re trying to focus on your workload. 

To ensure your home office is a comfortable work environment, keep the area you work at as tidy as possible and allow yourself a change of scenery throughout the day.