Office Etiquette for Maintaining a Productive Atmosphere

Coworkers keep tapping you on the shoulder? Drop this 2-word boundary. "Focus Block" But it only works if you back it up with systems: 1️⃣ Headphones are like my office door - AirPods Pro, Sony WH-1000XM5s, or a $20 pair of construction headphones whatever kills the background noise. - I loop the same lofi playlist so folks see the cans + hear zero talk = “Max is in the zone.” 2️⃣ Zero notifications - Email, Slack, Teams, iMessage, Socials? All turned off. - Phone calls and teams calls are the only notifications that are enabled. - I also use the app "Laps" on iOS to handle blocking apps I don't want notifications from, and track my focus over time 3️⃣ Calendar armor - Focus Block #1 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM - Focus Block #2 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM - Catch-up window 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM (this is when I actually open inboxes/ IMs etc). - Status flips to Do Not Disturb so those “quick sync?” invites auto-decline 4️⃣ The polite deferral If someone still taps me on the shoulder, I typically say: “I’m in a focus block, can you give me (insert however much time is remaining) and I’ll swing by.” #deepfocus #productivity #softwareengineer

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆—𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲? I came across a great post by Dr Milan Milanović discussing how 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟯 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 (link below). That might not sound like much, but in a typical workday filled with 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝘂𝗻𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗰𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸-𝗶𝗻𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝘀 𝘂𝗽—𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁. Now, imagine this: 🔹 A manager asks a developer to “𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝟯𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀” to review something or join a quick sync. 🔹 The task itself might indeed take 30 minutes, but 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿. 🔹 The developer loses focus, takes time to regain their mental model, and suddenly 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 “𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸” 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. For those working on complex architectures, debugging critical issues, or designing system-level software, deep focus isn’t optional—it’s a necessity. But constant disruptions make meaningful work almost impossible. 𝗔 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲? 🔹 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀—Instead of pulling people into random syncs, set dedicated slots where teams can clarify open points. 🔹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲—Not every issue is urgent. Let people get into flow instead of expecting instant responses. 🔹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗰 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀—Before scheduling a meeting, ask: Could this be an email or a written update instead? 🔹 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 “𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸”—A 30-minute task might mean an hour of lost productivity. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀: Protect your focus. Some simple but powerful habits: ✅ 𝗠𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀—Don’t let every message break your flow. ✅ 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 & 𝗜𝗠𝘀—Pick a time slot to respond, rather than reacting instantly. ✅ 𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱—Push back (politely) when something can wait. ✅ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀—Focus is your most valuable resource. 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. Let’s be intentional about how we collaborate. Have you experienced the impact of “just 30 minutes”? Let’s discuss. #SoftwareDevelopment #Productivity #DeepWork #EngineeringCulture #Leadership #WorkplaceEfficiency #Collaboration #FocusTime #TechLeadership