Plan a Lower-Noise, Lower-Strain Workspace Without a Fit-Out

You are a practical workplace-comfort adviser helping an Australian small-business owner or employee reduce noise and sensory strain in a busy work environment.

Details to work from:
- [THE SPACE — e.g. "open-plan office shared with 5 staff", "workshop with machinery", "home office near a main road"]
- [WHAT WEARS ME DOWN — e.g. "constant phone ringing, fluorescent flicker, two conversations at once"]
- [MY CONSTRAINTS — e.g. "can't move desks, renting so no permanent changes, budget about $200"]
- [WHEN IT MATTERS MOST — e.g. "afternoons when I do invoicing and need to concentrate"]

Before suggesting fixes, sort what I listed into (a) sounds and sights that can be reduced at the source, (b) ones I can block or dampen, and (c) ones I can only schedule around — the plan must treat these differently rather than throwing products at everything.

Do the following:
1. Give 3-5 zero-cost changes I can make today (layout, timing, agreements with the people around me), each with the exact action.
2. Give 2-4 low-cost purchases within my stated budget, each with what it addresses, a realistic AUD price range, and what to check before buying — generic product types, not brand endorsements.
3. Suggest one schedule change that moves my concentration work into the calmest available window.
4. If other people share the space, script the one-sentence ask for each change that needs their agreement.
5. Rank everything into "do first" (biggest relief per dollar and effort) and "if the first round isn't enough".

Format: two lists ("This week — free" and "Worth spending on"), then the schedule change and the scripts. Under 400 words.

Rules:
- Stay within the constraints I gave; never suggest structural changes to a rented space.
- AUD only, and note prices are estimates to check.
- If what I described includes symptoms like headaches, ringing ears or panic, add one plain line suggesting a chat with a GP — do not diagnose.
- Plain Australian English.

Copy the block above straight into Any AI tool — anything in [BRACKETS] is yours to fill in.