I just finished a video conference call with the Working Naked team—all of us were fully clothed—and surprisingly no barking dogs, noisy neighbors or even family members bothered us. If your office isn’t that quiet, you may have soundproofing issues. If people think you’re calling from a cave instead of your home office, you have a noise reduction issue. Whether your home office could use some serious soundproofing or slight noise reduction, you have a few options.

Noisy kids, dogs and neighbors can affect your productivity.

Soundproofing:

• Replace hollow doors with solid doors but leave a small gap at the bottom to let air circulate between rooms. MDF (medium density fiberboard) is a good choice because it’s less likely to warp than solid wood.

• Replace old—and often ugly—inefficient windows with double-pane or insulated windows to reduce the sound from the outside. You’ll improve the look of your home office, decrease your energy bills and may get a tax credit.

• Insulate your walls with fiberglass or Sound Attenuation Batts—lightweight, flexible, fiberglass insulation that’ll help absorb and isolate sound waves. (This and the next tip are easier to do with new construction.)

• Add two layers of sheetrock between rooms to reduce the amount of sound that passes between the rooms. Or use QuietRock, a soundproof drywall that reduces sound waves and vibration.

Noise Reduction:

• Eliminate the cave effect by adding a few throw rugs, a large area rug or wall-to-wall carpeting to your home office. This will add color and another design element to your space.

• Add window treatments including blinds, drapery or even shutters to give sound a place to bounce off. And hang art on the wall to deflect sound and add a little style and color to your office.