My Colleague Talks Too Much

I sit next to Budi in the office. He is a nice person, but he talks all day. He talks about his weekend, his motorbike, his neighbour's cat and the news. When I'm trying to work, he says, "Hey, did you see...?" and I lose my idea.

For a month I said nothing because I didn't want to be rude. But my work got slower and I stayed late to finish. One day my manager asked why my report was late. I felt terrible. It wasn't Budi's fault, but it was Budi's talking.

So I bought headphones. Big ones. Now, when I need to focus, I put them on, and Budi understands without me saying anything. At lunch I take them off and we talk. He's still my friend, and my reports are on time again.