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Poll: When you are working on a project what distracts you the most? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "When you are working on a project what distracts you the most?".
View the poll results »
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Internet. Always the internet. And I use online dictionaries so I can't very well turn it off.
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Susanna Martoni 
Italy
Local time: 02:27
Member (2009)
Spanish to Italian
+ ...
| Internet and | Apr 19, 2011 |
my daughter
my cat
bell ringing
television
neighbours' shouting
lawnmower
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above all: my surfing the net without special reasons when I have to work or study!
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Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 02:27
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| Presently and for the next 6 - 8 weeks | Apr 19, 2011 |
The landlord has decided to redo the balconies. This involves the daily use of jackhammers, chisles, and vivid conversation between the workers...sudden and loud.
My head feels like after having spent a day at the dentist's.
Other than that I'm seldom distracted when I work because I'm usually so focused on the project that very few sounds/noises seem to be able to reach my ears.
The only thing that... See more The landlord has decided to redo the balconies. This involves the daily use of jackhammers, chisles, and vivid conversation between the workers...sudden and loud.
My head feels like after having spent a day at the dentist's.
Other than that I'm seldom distracted when I work because I'm usually so focused on the project that very few sounds/noises seem to be able to reach my ears.
The only thing that can really distract me is when I start to think about something which causes my mind to wander. ▲ Collapse
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| Define 'distract' | Apr 19, 2011 |
I get the most interruptions from e-mail, but it doesn't take me away from my work; I take care of it quickly, either answering it or noting that I have to take care of it later.
As for interruptions that really take me away from my work, it's personal phone calls and people dropping by--I live in a very friendly neighborhood. People think I'm fair game because I'm at home.
I don't have children, or I'm sure that would be the biggest distraction. My dogs are very, very ... See more I get the most interruptions from e-mail, but it doesn't take me away from my work; I take care of it quickly, either answering it or noting that I have to take care of it later.
As for interruptions that really take me away from my work, it's personal phone calls and people dropping by--I live in a very friendly neighborhood. People think I'm fair game because I'm at home.
I don't have children, or I'm sure that would be the biggest distraction. My dogs are very, very patient and never interrupt me. ▲ Collapse
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Mary Worby
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:27
German to English
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| Virtually all of the above ... | Apr 19, 2011 |
The telephone, my husband, the radio (if it's on), the internet, the postman, the dog, the cat, the children, e-mail, text messages, answering polls on forums ...
You name it, I can be distracted by it!
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| 6,5% of the answerers are never distracted | Apr 19, 2011 |
I envy these people =)
As for me, it's mainly internet. LiveJournal, news etc.
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 02:27
Spanish to English
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... usually it's friends inviting me for barbecues/paellas or similar at weekends. They are used to me often being too busy to attend and do understand but I still feel sort of guilty about refusing.
I'm also currently translating a book and every time I have to research something online I get sidetracked, since I find it all so interesting, so the job is going slowly, but at least there is no concrete deadline.
Internet (proz) can be a distraction too... I shouldn't ev... See more ... usually it's friends inviting me for barbecues/paellas or similar at weekends. They are used to me often being too busy to attend and do understand but I still feel sort of guilty about refusing.
I'm also currently translating a book and every time I have to research something online I get sidetracked, since I find it all so interesting, so the job is going slowly, but at least there is no concrete deadline.
Internet (proz) can be a distraction too... I shouldn't even be here now... ▲ Collapse
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Snores like a wild boar!
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| Background noise. . . | Apr 19, 2011 |
Background noise distracts and irritates me a lot. When I work, I don't browse the internet. I don't have pets. 6.3 % answerers say "I'm never distracted." Could they please explain how they achieve it?
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Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 17:27
English to German
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In memoriam | Phone solicitors / telemarketers | Apr 19, 2011 |
It is the repetitiveness that will drive you to the edge of insanity. "Yellow pages", "long distance rates", "Google ad space" (big time!!!!), whatever campaign - these companies will assign your business phone number to about 150 different people who do this on a freelance basis and who are not even aware of this mass-outsourcing. You might be called at least 5 times a week and sometimes up to 3 times a day by different call-center people. It doesn't help if you ask any telemarketer to take you... See more It is the repetitiveness that will drive you to the edge of insanity. "Yellow pages", "long distance rates", "Google ad space" (big time!!!!), whatever campaign - these companies will assign your business phone number to about 150 different people who do this on a freelance basis and who are not even aware of this mass-outsourcing. You might be called at least 5 times a week and sometimes up to 3 times a day by different call-center people. It doesn't help if you ask any telemarketer to take your number off their list, because the 150 other callers for this very account don't know from each other.
Our private number is on the North America Do-Not-Call-list, you can not do this with a business number. ▲ Collapse
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| These don't distract me but help me | Apr 19, 2011 |
Interesting to see that all the people are distracted by something else. As for me, all the things listed here do not distract me but help me shift my focus so that I can refresh my brain when I am really busy.
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Amy Duncan (X)
Brazil
Local time: 21:27
Portuguese to English
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I live alone and have no pets, so that's not a problem. None of the other things on the list distract me, either. The only way I can get distracted is if I'm working on a really boring text...then my mind tends to wander. Taking short breaks helps.
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| Dog on a schedule | Apr 19, 2011 |
The internet, of course. And my kids, although my 16-yo has developed enough of a sense of maturity to ask "are you busy?" before posing major requests for my time.
But also, my dog is very much into her routine and schedule. During the week when I'm home alone and working my "regular" hours, she's great. She sleeps on the bed (my work desk is in my bedroom) all morning long, and then I take her out for a hard one-hour romp around lunchtime, then she sleeps again until my husband co... See more The internet, of course. And my kids, although my 16-yo has developed enough of a sense of maturity to ask "are you busy?" before posing major requests for my time.
But also, my dog is very much into her routine and schedule. During the week when I'm home alone and working my "regular" hours, she's great. She sleeps on the bed (my work desk is in my bedroom) all morning long, and then I take her out for a hard one-hour romp around lunchtime, then she sleeps again until my husband comes home around 3:30.
But whenever I'm trying to work outside those hours, she will often try to get me to play with her by brining her toys up onto the bed and barking at me. She clearly knows the difference between the weekday and weekend routine (husband hasn't gone to work, kids haven't gone to school) and thinks I should not be working on the weekend! I've literally found myself crawling through projects at a snail's pace, translating one segment then turning to toss a toy for the dog, then doing another segment, then tossing the toy....
One of my cats is also in the habit of hopping up on the back of my chair and meowing until I let her come down and sit in my lap and pet her, but at least I can toss her back on the floor when I need to get back to work, and she will just stalk off in a huff!
[Edited at 2011-04-19 13:45 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| mix of and also | Apr 19, 2011 |
some of the above, family, telephone, and since I also teach in the evening, well phone calls for the other job.
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