How do you stay above office politics, hubski? How do you compartmentalise everything that might distract you from your work that is not work?

I make sure I am busy. I have enough work to do each day, that I spend little time on other things. (Like Hubski.) Keep up the pace. If you are busy, then people will interrupt you less.

Drink water. Water keeps you hydrated, it makes you get up and go to the bathroom every hour or two (which is good for your body), and it doesn't take time to make, so you don't get caught chatting uselessly around the coffee maker. (Also, life is better without coffee.)

Let people be wrong. I hear people talking about shit they know nothing about, and spouting wrong information. Usually gossiping or pontificating on topics that they do not have any expertise in. That's ok. They can be wrong. You don't need to correct them, or engage them. Focus on your work.

Headphones. Many people wear headphones at work all the time, which is counter-productive. Wearing them all the time means people just interrupt them any time they want to. I wear headphones only when I need to focus or can't be disturbed. People learn the difference. "Hang on. He's got his headphones on. We can ask him about this stuff later." (I may not even have anything playing. Just have the headphones on to deflect distractions, or simply to lower the ambient volume.)

Reduce. Be "less" while at work. The people I give my "all" to, are the people I love. The people at work see a guy who is always happy, always working, and someone who gets shit done. They only get the work side of me. They know a bit of my life outside of work, but not much. They just see this happy, productive dude. By reducing or limiting my profile at work, it gives people fewer reasons to engage me in non-work stuff. So I don't have to listen to their fantasy football rosters, or their kid's play, or whatever. But since I am the happy, productive guy, I get called into all the cool projects, too, because I have proven that I am fun to work with, and I get shit done.

That's my formula for not getting sucked into distractions.

Interestingly, this is also my formula for not bringing my work home. The moment I step out the front door of my building, work is GONE from my head. And I don't think about it again until I am commuting to work the next morning, and planning out my day.