Writer Annie Dillard famously said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” According a recent study by Amaz.markets the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. No matter what kind of slave labor you subject yourself to during the day, you might be wondering of the four annoying co-workers you have and how to deal with them appropriately. Great co-workers can make your time at the office interesting, insightful even. Annoying co-workers will only make your life a living nightmare. Deal with these four annoying workers at your work place with an iron fist.

The Know-It-All

The Know-It-All has an opinion for everything and anything, never allowing you to speak your mind. An opinion outside of his own is obsolete and your opinions go in one ear and out the other. You might be wondering how to deal with the Know-It-All without being too forward. The best solution is to simply cut them off. If you are talking to a co-worker and Mr. Know-It-All starts to interject, be quick to put him in his place by saying something along the lines of “I need to finish my conversation. I will get to you in a second.” The key is to be firm, showing the offender you mean business.

The Negative Nancy

The Negative Nancy zaps the life out of everyone. He does this by always pointing out shortcomings, as well as the negative aspects of work. He is commonly noted as being one of the more annoying co-workers and how to deal with him—while staying sane—is a feat in itself. You do not have to be friends with this person, but simply asking questions and inquiring about his life may help you understand him. You never know, he might be a friendly person who’s simply misunderstood.

The Gossip 

The Gossip always has some story about someone. One of the more effective solutions to shutting up a Gossiper is to simply nod your head with a blank look on your face until he’s finished with his story. Don’t say anything and don’t interrupt his thought process. Once he’s finished, simply walk away. Better yet, walk away right in the middle of his story. he’ll get the message.

The Blabber Mouth

The Blabber Mouth is one of the more annoying co-workers you have and how to deal with one is not as simple as plugging his mouth shut with your fist. The Blabber Mouth has the ability to rope people in and talk… and talk some more. As a diligent, hard-working individual, you know that time is money and you do not want to waste it with someone who can’t seem to shut up about random stories no one really cares about. Usually a straight-forward response will disarm a Blabber Mouth. Tell the offender you are on a time constraint and keep on moving with your day.