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Most office spaces these days are large open spaces with individualized desks, very different than the offices of the past which included long hallways with individual offices, each with their own door to shut out distractions and keep in the noise of each phone call.

For those of us that have introverted personalities or who struggle to stay focused with even the smallest of distractions, the physical arrangement of open layouts in our work spaces can feel like walking on a tight rope that any minute will led us to our metaphorical work death.

During my Landis Fellowship at mHub, I am taking the time to invent new and efficient processes to support my business growth. After a few weeks of working as an introvert in the mHub open office space, I realized that I was beginning to feel resentment around my inability to stay productive while on site.

My intent was to participate in the mHub ecosystem as a flexible colleague open to impromptu meetings with important stakeholders who may approach my desk; however, I needed to be able to write up client contracts, read journal articles, patent literature, and do the work of running a business.

To optimize my new work space, I took a cue from red light green light, a popular childhood game in the USA.

In the game when the light is green one can proceed toward the goal, and when it is red one must stay still and if they move at all they have to go back to the beginning.

At CArtLab Solutions in the open office spaces of mHub we have assembled a working prototype for all the introverts, using inspiration from a childhood game!

To make the working prototype, we grabbed an old frame to insert a printed google doc, a stack of business cards, and a $10 Puck LED light with timers from amazon (batteries not included).

When I am sitting at my desk and doing general tasks for CArtLab Solutions, the green light opens the metaphorical door to conversation for anyone nearby.

In contrast, when the red light is on, the framed text alerts a colleague on how to proceed:

“Thanks for dropping by!

🛑🚨Red Light 🚨 🛑

I’m heads down on a client project so please come back later or slack/email me.”

For the helpful insight to alert others of my presence on-site, I will leave the light on any other color but red or green when I step away from my desk for work in the maker space, in the conference room, or in the event space.

Oh how I wish I had thought of this solution >10 years ago when in graduate student shared offices where I would find the environment so distracting that I would have to escape to the quietest floor in the library!

Hope this helps anyone else who struggles with focus with background noise or work interruptions like I do.

Please let me know if you decide to adopt this solution in your open office space to improve efficiency and optimize focus.