如何在開放式辦公室裏高效工作

It’s very likely that if you’ve worked in an office at all, you’ve worked in an open-plan office. As a reaction against hierarchical workplace structures and a means to move employees away from working in boxes, they’ve become commonplace.
你工作過的辦公室很可能都是開放式的，它們作爲一種打破工作場所層級結構、把員工從小隔間裏解放出來的方式，已經被廣爲使用。

They’re a double-edged sword, however. On the one hand, open-plan offices can inspire a more collaborative, innovative and social environment where ideas transfer easily between members of different departments and teams. On the other, open-plan workspaces are being recognized as a wildly distracting environment to to work in, where, according to one study by The Sound Agency, workers are 66% less productive.
然而這種辦公室有利也有弊。一方面，開放式辦公室能營造一個更易於合作、創新和社交的環境，不同部門和團隊之間可以更容易地交換觀點。另一方面，開放式辦公室也被認爲是個會嚴重分散員工注意力的環境，根據聲音研究所的一項研究，該環境下的員工生產力會暴跌66%。

Is it possible to foster productive collaboration in an open floor plan day in and day out? If so, the following tactics will help you stay sane and efficient.
每天在開放環境下辦公，怎樣才能促進合作、提高效率呢？以下策略或許能助你保持清醒、高效。

Create a “virtual wall”
築一道“虛擬的牆”

When it comes to open-plan offices, hell can be other people. The human brain only has the capacity for 1.6 conversations, according to Julian Treasure, TED speaker and author of Sound Business, and if your mind wanders to a nearby discussion, you don’t have much brain power left to work with.
在開放式辦公環境裏，他人的存在就是夢魘。TED演講者、《聲音與商業》一書的作者朱利安-特雷熱說，人腦只能同時處理1.6場對話，如果你的意識遊蕩到了附近的討論中去，就不剩多少腦力來工作了。

If you are having trouble concentrating because of the voices and antics of your colleagues, you can create a “virtual wall” between yourself and the rest of your office. How to achieve this? It’s easier than you think. Headphones.
如果同事的聲音和動作讓你難以集中精力，你可以嘗試在自己和辦公室裏的其他人之間築一道“虛擬的牆”。怎樣做呢？比你想象的要簡單。一副耳機就夠了。

Even when we do retreat to our own worlds, it’s usually with music that neither helps concentration nor productivity. If you’re trying to stay productive, don’t play music with vocals, such as radio, podcasts or even lyric-filled songs, since they’ll only further use up your brain space.
即便是退回到個人世界的我們，往往也聽着既不利於專注也不利於高產的音樂。但是想保持高產，就不要播放有人聲的音樂，比如收音機、播客，乃至帶歌詞的歌曲，它們只會進一步佔據你大腦裏的空間。

The best sounds for concentration are natural and unpredictable. Ambient electronic music tends to work well at blocking out noise yet it doesn’t create a distraction. Try binaural beats in stereo headphones. Neurophysiologists believe these sounds can induce the brain into a deep state of concentration, creativity and relaxation.
最利於專注的聲音是那種自然且不可預知的聲音。電子環境音樂阻隔噪音的效果就不錯，也不會讓人分心。也可以試試用立體聲耳機聆聽雙耳節拍。神經生理學家認爲這些聲音能引導大腦進入深度專注、有創造力且放鬆的狀態。Have a “Collaboration Table” delegated
分出一張“團隊討論桌”

The key to keeping employees happy and productive is having a mix of spaces for different activities. According to a new study by design firm Gensler, it was found that workers spend more than half their time at work in deep focus and about one-fourth in collaboration, with the rest split between learning, socializing and other tasks.
讓員工既開心又高產的關鍵在於有不同的空間來做不同的事。建築設計公司根斯勒的一項新研究發現，員工工作時有超過一半的時間處在深度專注狀態，大約四分之一的時間在合作，剩下的時間則分配給學習、社交和其他工作。

Of course, people who work in an office still spend most of the day at their desks, but when it’s time to do some hard-core collaborating or learning, moving to a different environment can help shift gears. Delegate a larger central “community” table where conversation and ideas can flow freely. And encourage an environment of mindful chatter amongst neighboring desks.
當然，在辦公室裏工作的人還是大部分時間都坐在自己桌前，但到了需要深度合作或學習的時候，換個環境就能幫大腦換個檔。在辦公室安置一張較大的“團隊討論桌”，讓談話和想法在這張桌上流轉自如，並鼓勵鄰座之間有意識地閒聊。

Try rooms with high tables where everyone has to stand and the walls are floor to ceiling whiteboard. This arrangement will prompt presence and participation. Or conversely, have isolation rooms where people can go to be alone and silent. Try putting a chalkboard on the outside of the door where people can write what they’re working on inside. This way the rest of the team knows why they’re heads down and can leave them in peace to accomplish what they need.
在用來開會的房間裏可以嘗試放置一個很高的桌子，高到每個人都得站着，而且牆壁要用落地大白板，這樣的安排能促使人們積極參與討論。相反，也可以設置一些獨立的房間，讓人能安靜獨處。可以嘗試在門外放一塊黑板，寫上自己在屋裏做什麼。這樣，團隊的其他人就知道他們埋着頭的原因了，也會讓他們安靜地完成工作。Adopt a “do not disturb” attitude
拿出“請勿打擾”的態度來

In a study published in Applied Psychology, people seeking help performed better at work, but people providing help actually performed worse. Scientists determined that alternating between helping others and doing your own work imposes a heavy “cognitive load” because you have to reacquaint yourself with the details of your project each time you return to it. Not to mention –multitasking is a fallacy.
《應用心理學》雜誌發佈了一項研究：尋求幫助的人在工作中做得更好，但提供幫助的人實際上做得更糟。科學家判斷，在幫助他人和做本職工作之間的轉換會帶來沉重的“認知負荷”，因爲每次你回頭繼續工作，都得讓自己重新熟悉一遍工作細節。更不要提什麼“多線程工作”的概念，那根本就是個謬論。

To counteract this, set aside a block of several hours every day when you’re not to be disturbed so you can concentrate on your work without distraction. Insist to your co-workers that it is important you not be disturbed during this block of time, unless of course there is an emergency. You can collaborate with and help colleagues during a later part of the day once you have given adequate focus to your top priorities.
要想解決這個問題，可以每天分出一個時間段，在這幾個小時內不被打擾，專注於自己的工作不分心。一定要告訴同事你在這段時間裏真的不想被打擾，當然緊急情況除外。要把足夠的注意力分給最重要的工作，而你可以在這一天的後半段時間裏與同事合作或幫助他人。

While open-offices don’t work for everyone, they can have great impact on culture, innovation and collaboration. But like all good things, must be kept in balance.
雖然開放式辦公室不一定適合所有人，但它能給文化、創新和合作帶來巨大影響。不過，和所有的好東西一樣，開放式辦公室的應用也必須保持平衡。