Why is it that I work better and am more cheerful while I work if I'm by myself?

You laid it out yourself: you had no interruptions. When we are with others or subject to phone calls, emails, etc. we can’t focus.

Give me an iPod and nobody around to fuck with me and I can make shit happen.

I’m with you. I much prefer to work alone (work work, housework…whatever).

I find people around to be a distraction that slows me down and hinders my focus.

I like to work alone too.No distractions,music turned to concert level volume and I can get things done :)

But of course, all of us bright stars like to twinkle alone. lol

@Coloma: Either that or we’re not “team players” properly focussed on the “mission statement” of the corporation. :^)

@cprevite

I’m my own corporation.
My mission statement is ’ focus when you feel like it!’ haha

You might enjoy the thoughts expressed by this Jason Fried guy: Why work doesn’t happen at work

He suggests that many workplaces should consider designating periods of interruption free work.

If you’re anything like me, it’s because having someone looking over your shoulder while you’re doing things makes you self-conscious and awkward which somehow makes you less efficient.

I’m also trying to figure out how to apply it to life. As far as I’ve found, there doesn’t exist a career where you get to work independently all the time, unfortunately.

It’s simple: you’re an introvert.

I’ve been doing some thinking on this, and I think I might have figured it out. When I’m alone, I get to manage my own time and it’s up to me to get my school work done. I haven’t figured out why, but that I think that’s what makes me get stuff done. I think I’m going to try doing this by telling myself to do stuff before my mom gets the chance. I can atleast try it. I hope it keeps me getting so much done for more than a couple days.

You’re not being interrupted all the time. You can focus on what you’re doing. But if it happened all the time, it would get old really fast, and you’d figure out that the interruptions were actually helpful, both for your work and for your soul. We are pack animals. We need alone time, but mostly we need grooming time.

@drdoombot

Not everyone that likes to work alone is an introvert.
I am an extrovert by nature, love people, like to socialize, BUT..I am also a fully integrated human and cherish alone time and solitude as well.

I prefer to work alone but this doesn’t mean I also don’t equally enjoy my social time. :-)

There’s nothing wrong with being an introvert; it just means you get your energy boost when you’re alone, instead of with people. You can still enjoy both.

Working on making repairs to industrial equipment for a living I prefer to work by myself or one other person that I can get along with. I hate working in groups. Every group scenerio I’ve worked in usually turns into a situation where there are too many chiefs and not enough indians. I guess I’m one of those people who don’t have any desire to lead or be lead.