How to cut out unhelpful work noise

A while ago, I quit a Whatsapp community. 100+ connections, gone, just like that. I felt scared and worried (Hello, FOMO), but also free and liberated. I’m also considering leaving another one where, every time a notification pops up, I feel stressed and overwhelmed. (Yes I could mute but that’s worse as I still check then there are loads of messages to catch up on!). I am trying to control the volume on the noise around me - and it’s important you do, too. But how can we find a middle ground? It’s easy to switch off the noise completely, but that leaves us in silence. So what’s the best thing to do?

Imagine all the work noise around you like being in the middle of a festival. There are people making individual noise - everything from a person singing to someone banging a drum or shouting ‘who wants chips?!’. There are bands and music, there are performers, there is a dance area, an indie area, a chill out area with some wind chimes (still noise, and maybe not the right noise for you).

It’s overwhelming. Everyone else making all this noise, and you’re not sure what to listen to, what to focus on. You want to run away.

But running away to your tent won’t help - you want to enjoy some of the noise. So it’s about working out what noise you want to hear, and what you want to zone out.

I am keen to focus on turning down the noise, not taking it away completely. It is about finding balance - about finding the right noise to listen to, and learning to understand that we all make some noise of our own.

It’s about learning that there are times to congratulate others, and accept that, while their noise might trigger something in you, they still deserve a ‘congrats!’ and their moment to shine.

When we are bothered by the noise other people are making, it’s also a chance to look inwards. What is it that’s bothering us that we might address? That person has won an award… do you wish you had? What awards could you enter?

That person has launched a new thing - is it pushing you to wish you were further ahead with YOUR thing?

Turning down the volume of other people’s work news

From the LinkedIn announcements to the person in the office getting congratulated - it can trigger all your feelings about your own work situation. Turning down the in-person noise is hard, as you might hear it unintentionally. Other people’s work wins can feel like a gut punch when you are job hunting or out of work. Other freelancers’ client wins can feel like a slap in the face when you’re client hunting or have lost a client.

My biggest advice here is to lurk with purpose (it’s one of my catchphrases when it comes to LinkedIn in particular). Instead of just scrolling, make your time on the platform more intentional. If the feed gives you the ick, why not try some keyword searches, for everything from new connections to interesting articles and even jobs.

Turning down the noise of other people on social media

Unfriend, unfollow, block… these are all options, of course. But they can be a bit like putting on ear defenders and an eye mask. Instead, can you mute, or scroll on past? I am a firm believer that if someone else on social media is somehow triggering your own feelings then you are perfectly entitled to mute or unfollow. But unfollowing can be a bit like packing up your tent and quitting the festival altogether.

Instead, try curating your feed. Mute stories, not posts - this is something I’ve done a lot. It means you don’t see the person pop up on stories when you’re just coasting through them. Also, ask yourself: “What’s really bothering me here?”. Is it the noise they’re making, or the reminder that you’re staying quieter than you might do about something you’re keen to share?

Turning down the noise in your inbox

Again, unsubscribe is an easy option if your inbox feels full of everyone else’s noise. But, again, think curation not total removal. I have a lot of Substack newsletters in my inbox and I am going to take some time to work out which I really do read. I also have a newsletter I subscribe to (not sure how I’ve managed this!) through two different emails, so it lands in my shared inbox twice!

Curating the things you subscribe to isn’t about cutting out all the noise, it’s about choosing your inbox ‘playlist’.

Turning down the networking noise

Again, it might be that you just think: “I don’t want the noise and stress of networking, I simply won’t go!”. But I would argue networking is an essential part of building your career.

So my big tip here is to try events, but not be too scared to leave when you are ‘done’ or not go back if it wasn’t for you. It can feel like everyone else is thriving as they introduce themselves. It’s good, I think, to be brave and go to networking in person, but it’s also fine to say ‘that wasn’t the group for me’.

I find that after a networking event I need some quiet time - so you could factor that in!

But remember, it’s about making your own noise too. Try to make the most of events by introducing yourself and handing out info or following up. Gentle noise - a bit like the acoustic stage.

Turning UP the noise you do enjoy!

With all this talk of turning down the noise, it’s important to remember that it’s not about shutting yourself away in a quiet space forever. If there is noise you like - to come back to our festival analogy - then why not listen to it more? Turn up that volume. If you enjoy a community, take part more, join their events or comment a bit more. If you enjoy someone’s social media, why not say so in the comments? If you’re into what someone has to say, make sure you’re following them and enjoy that noise. Subscribe and follow what does float your boat!

Remember, “it’ll pass”

It doesn’t have to be about switching off - it’s about controlling the volume. And as a good friend said to me recently when I was sharing some stress about a lot of noise in one part of my work life: “It’ll pass.” This for me felt like she was saying the noise and the feeling would pass. It can smart hard, like a nettle sting, when the noise isn’t your vibe (as my niece would say). But the feelings that all the noise can dig up will pass if you focus on the volume dial and what’s right for you.

Getting help from a coach with your work challenges

If you need to turn down some noise and focus on what’s going on in your career or business, get in touch to discuss how coaching can create that perfect quiet space just for you. A space where there’s no exterior noise, to pause and reflect, to make decisions away from the chaos you might be feeling.

I am taking new clients in August and September and would love to chat about working with you. I work with everyone from freelance creatives to job hunters, founders and graduates.