--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You are one-third as productive in…" description: "\"You are one-third as productive in open-plan offices as in quiet rooms. I have a tip for you: if you work in spaces like that, carry headphones with yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/julian-treasure-8346_back_you-are-one-third-as-productive-in-open_1101914.jpg" --- # You are one-third as productive in open-plan offices as in… ![“You are one-third as productive in open-plan offices as in quiet rooms. I have a tip for you: if you work in spaces like that, carry headphones with you, with a soothing sound like birdsong. Put them on, and your productivity goes back up to triple what it would be.” quote by Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/julian-treasure-8346_back_you-are-one-third-as-productive-in-open_1101914.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/julian-treasure-8346_back_you-are-one-third-as-productive-in-open_1101914.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/julian-treasure-8346_back_you-are-one-third-as-productive-in-open_1101914.jpg) > “You are one-third as productive in open-plan offices as in quiet rooms. I have a tip for you: if you work in spaces like that, carry headphones with you, with a soothing sound like birdsong. Put them on, and your productivity goes back up to triple what it would be.” [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Open-plan offices reduce focus; headphones with natural sounds restore concentration and boost output. **In simple terms:** Noise hurts work; headphones help. Key Takeaway Use headphones with calming sounds to improve productivity. Themes productivity environment focus Mood focused practical Type advice productivity When to use this quote - office work - remote work - studying - creative tasks Key Concepts acoustics attention workplace design Questions to Reflect On - Do you notice a productivity drop in noisy settings? - What sounds help you concentrate? A Different Perspective Effectiveness depends on personal preference for sound; not everyone benefits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Headphones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headphones/) [Offices Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offices-quiet-2891834/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Productivity Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity-goes-2891835/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [Quiet Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet-rooms-2891836/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Spaces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-spaces-2891837/) ## Related quotes > [My work spaces are the cookery school and all the restaurant kitchens. I eat in the restaurants a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-stein/my-work-spaces-are-the-cookery-school-and-all-the-restaurant-kitchens/) [Rick Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-stein/) > [“... In a ROWE\* people don't have schedules. They show up when they want. They don't have to be in the office at certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pink/in-a-rowe-people-don-t-have-schedules-they-show-up-when-they-want/) [Daniel Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pink/) > [Everybody goes down to a least common denominator, and as a result, productivity goes down to zero. And we've seen that in every communist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-cruz/everybody-goes-down-to-a-least-common-denominator-and-as-a-result/) [Rafael Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-cruz/) > [I always have my Bose headphones. I have to have the noise-cancelling headphones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-goreski/i-always-have-my-bose-headphones-i-have-to-have-the-noise-cancelling/) [Brad Goreski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-goreski/) > [When you listen to a Yes album, you should listen to the whole thing through headphones with the lights off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-rabin/when-you-listen-to-a-yes-album-you-should-listen-to-the-whole-thing/) [Trevor Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-rabin/) > [When you do an animated movie - at least the ones that I've been a part of - you never see any of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/when-you-do-an-animated-movie-at-least-the-ones-that-i-ve-been-a-part/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) > [Headphones, when we put them on we're in a whole nother atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/headphones-when-we-put-them-on-we-re-in-a-whole-nother-atmosphere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love listening to music and I can't walk without headphones in my ears. I listen to it while eating, walking, in the loo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherry-forever/i-love-listening-to-music-and-i-can-t-walk-without-headphones-in-my/) [Cherry Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherry-forever/) > [She goes on the set with headphones and gives you notes. She's terrific and I always run to her now, because she is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-finney/she-goes-on-the-set-with-headphones-and-gives-you-notes-she-s/) [Albert Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-finney/) > [By the time I was a senior in high school, I was constantly with my headphones, just making music all the time. People were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-jaar/by-the-time-i-was-a-senior-in-high-school-i-was-constantly-with-my/) [Nicolas Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-jaar/) > [“Dear headphones. Will you please stop fucking each other. It takes too much time to set you guys apart. Thanks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/dear-headphones-will-you-please-stop-fucking-each-other-it-takes-too/) [Himmilicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himmilicious/) > [When I was a kid I just had headphones on all the time, and it changed the way I see things and the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-nathanson/when-i-was-a-kid-i-just-had-headphones-on-all-the-time-and-it-changed/) [Matt Nathanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-nathanson/) > [There's very little about being in a functional-M.R.I. scanner that is natural: you are flat on your back, absolutely still, with your head immobilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-marantz-henig/there-s-very-little-about-being-in-a-functional-m-r-i-scanner-that-is/) [Robin Marantz Henig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-marantz-henig/) > [The first time I went to Abbey Road and put those headphones on, I discovered I had two voices. I no longer had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cilla-black/the-first-time-i-went-to-abbey-road-and-put-those-headphones-on-i/) [Cilla Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cilla-black/) > [I spend a lot of time loathing the sentences that I put down on the page. Once I'm past that phase, it doesn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-loathing-the-sentences-that-i-put-down-on-the/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) ## More by Julian Treasure > [We have the capacity for about 1.6 human conversations, so if you're listening to one conversation particularly, you're only left with 0.6 for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/we-have-the-capacity-for-about-1-6-human-conversations-so-if-you-re/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [People find birdsong relaxing and reassuring because over thousands of years, they have learnt when the birds sing, they are safe; it's when birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/people-find-birdsong-relaxing-and-reassuring-because-over-thousands/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [In the U.K., architects train for five years, and they spend one day on sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/in-the-u-k-architects-train-for-five-years-and-they-spend-one-day-on/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [You or I never buy an Intel product explicitly, and yet their sonic logo is far better known and more powerful than its visual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/you-or-i-never-buy-an-intel-product-explicitly-and-yet-their-sonic/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [If you're surrounded by noise all the time, it has a pretty bad effect on the spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/if-you-re-surrounded-by-noise-all-the-time-it-has-a-pretty-bad-effect/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [The need to be right can arise from a fear of being disrespected. Or it may come out of the fear of being seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/the-need-to-be-right-can-arise-from-a-fear-of-being-disrespected-or/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [People often mistake our mission at The Sound Agency for a crusade for silence, but actually, silence is in many ways just as bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/people-often-mistake-our-mission-at-the-sound-agency-for-a-crusade/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [I would suggest that our listening is the main way that we experience the flow of time from past to future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/i-would-suggest-that-our-listening-is-the-main-way-that-we-experience/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [In a room full of 60 to 70 people which is open plan and absolutely quiet, it's very intimidating to make a phone call.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/in-a-room-full-of-60-to-70-people-which-is-open-plan-and-absolutely/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [When you hear a child's voice, it will have that immediate effect of putting you in mind of looking after children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/when-you-hear-a-child-s-voice-it-will-have-that-immediate-effect-of/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [My mother, in the last years of her life, became very negative, and it's hard to listen. I remember one day, I said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/my-mother-in-the-last-years-of-her-life-became-very-negative-and-it-s/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [A sonic logo on its own isn't going to do very much. We get frustrated with smaller brands who come to us and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/a-sonic-logo-on-its-own-isn-t-going-to-do-very-much-we-get-frustrated/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [Men tend to listen in what I call a reductive way, which is to say for a point, for a solution. You know, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/men-tend-to-listen-in-what-i-call-a-reductive-way-which-is-to-say-for/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [I have visited a number of boutique hotels where you feel there is a little bit of self-indulgence going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/i-have-visited-a-number-of-boutique-hotels-where-you-feel-there-is-a/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [I think it's pretty pointless, my children learning to use a keyboard - we will just talk to our computers. Why would we not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/i-think-it-s-pretty-pointless-my-children-learning-to-use-a-keyboard/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) [Explore all 81 Julian Treasure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) ## More Back quotes > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/i-honestly-would-like-to-get-that-frankie-fight-back/) [Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/) > [Drumming's pretty physical. We sit at the back of the stage getting beat up like a workhorse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/drumming-s-pretty-physical-we-sit-at-the-back-of-the-stage-getting/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. So I go all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-haze/i-never-want-to-look-back-on-any-moment-and-say-i-could-have-done/) [Scott Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-haze/) > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [It's what the people wanted at the time, but the country could not be half-segregated and half-integrated, just as it could not be half-slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-what-the-people-wanted-at-the-time-but-the-country-could-not-be/) [George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/) > [I've always stuck my arms behind my back anyway when trying to block a shot in the penalty area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/i-ve-always-stuck-my-arms-behind-my-back-anyway-when-trying-to-block/) [Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/) > [I'm sure at some point I will get back into coaching, but right now I need to focus completely on my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ewing/i-m-sure-at-some-point-i-will-get-back-into-coaching-but-right-now-i/) [Patrick Ewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ewing/) > [Any time someone achieves success before they've earned it, it always comes back to haunt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/any-time-someone-achieves-success-before-they-ve-earned-it-it-always/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [We're all painfully aware of how suddenly violence can occur, how crippling it is, and how survivors have to find a way back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/we-re-all-painfully-aware-of-how-suddenly-violence-can-occur-how/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) > [Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/ronaldo-is-just-an-athlete-he-works-so-hard-and-back-to-back-he-is/) [Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. 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