"So much this. I feel like in a shared/open office space, this is especially difficult to get across, when everyone around you is talking about their kids, upcoming travel plans, dinner from last night, and everything under the sun while typing away on their computers and flipping through files. I personally find it difficult to simultaneously focus on work and chat about non-work stuff. So, if I have been assigned some work, my instinct is to do that and check it off my to-do list as soon as possible.

Thankfully, my colleagues are considerate folks who understand this about me now, and they know that when I’m not contributing to a conversation about someone’s cousin’s wedding, I don’t really have anything against them."