Alt + Tab as Fast as You Can

Occasionally it is required in CubeWorld^TM that we get up and visit another cube to talk something over with a colleague. As I walk up and down the aisles, I watch as screens quickly shift back to work-related stuff when the cube occupants hear footsteps or see shadows. They're always a second too late. There's the young designer who enjoys celebrity gossip and is always minimizing a movie or TV site. There's the Long Island transplant obsessed with all things Yankees, exiting to a production spreadsheet when I approach. We have a Brit proofreader who is very active on eBay. One of my fellow writers has an amusing attachment to Barbies and can be caught leaving his favorite Barbie forum where he is responding to his fellow collectors.

Just leave the window up. It's better than looking guilty. Share what you're looking at with whomever happens to wander in. We all do it, so quit pretending to be working when someone approaches. You'll get your work done. We trust you. It's OK to have fun once in a while.