How to survive the office as an introvert

Two rules to live by: Protect your peace early on and show your contribution.

An open office can be a nightmare sometimes. You need to create your safe space early on and set the right expectations.

Get earplugs or noise-canceling headphones, especially if you don’t like how a coworker breathes or slurps their coffee and it drives you crazy.

Practice saying no, a lot, practice it with ChatGPT if you must.

You don’t need to be overly rude or confrontational; you can be friendly and end conversations early.

I know it’s hard to go against the grain, but It is possible, some coworkers have done it to you, and you probably didn’t feel it happen.

Still not convinced? Okay, let’s compromise.

Can you say things like these?

“I’m so sorry to cut this short, but I need to get back to [project/task], let’s chat later.”

“I’m handling everything via Slack/email today, so please ping me there.”

“I’d love to attend, it sounds lovely, thank you, but I promised myself I’d make progress on X today.”

Not so bad, right?

Show your contributions:

Some companies tend to be biased toward extrovert‑centric performance metrics.

You can even be penalized because you’re not engaged enough and don’t contribute to meetings, events, etc.

It takes time for an introvert to put together their thoughts and articulate them, but extroverts tend to think through speaking, which creates a “performative contribution imbalance.”

I’m not saying that extroverts are less effective than introverts, but we need to acknowledge the challenge for introverts here.

You can start showcasing your contributions in small ways first, either through the regular channels like Slack or by having a 2–3 bullet points prepared in advance for your next meeting.

You can also talk to your boss about how to be more effective within the team.

You don’t need to show better results; you’re probably already under-representing your achievements, and your career has probably suffered from this.

You need to show that you exist, that you listen, and that you participate.