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The overlooked distraction that’s killing your productivity
Visual noise…it’s right in front of you
Did you know that clearing your desk can be a form of self-care? Same with sorting out messy cables. Or filing your email. This is because some people need visual quiet to feel rested.
The opposite is visual noise.
In this article, I explain how getting the visual noise balance right in your workspace will increase your productivity and wellbeing.
What is visual noise?
Visual noise refers to any random visual stimulus.
These are some of the feelings that any form of unmanaged noise in your environment can create:
- Disorganised
- Careless
- Distracted
- Overwhelmed
At low levels, visual noise can be tolerable — or sometimes even helpful, such as when there’s a little bit of visual interest to keep the brain engaged in the space. This is akin to listening to ambient sounds to help you concentrate.
However, in most instances, there may be unchecked or excessive visual noise happening. This is distracting and unproductive.
And like auditory stimulus, it can increase in volume without us noticing.
The negative impact of visual noise
Here are just a few of the ways that an unmanaged visual environment can harm us:
- Visual noise can make us tired. When the cognitive load is high, our brain has to work extra hard to process all the sensory input. This is wasted energy that we actually want to be spending on our important work.
🤔 What do I see around me that is unnecessarily draining my energy? - Visual noise hinders our ability to concentrate. When we are constantly distracted by all the reminders of half-finished projects, abandoned tasks, and other ways we’d rather be spending our time, we weaken our ability to stay present and focused.
🤔 What unhelpful reminders are in my visual path? - Visual noise makes it harder to accept things as they are. Humans are pattern-seekers — we’re wired to make sense of…
