How do you avoid distracting people without being rude to them?

It's probably culturally dependent. I'd like to tell you that you can just ignore people you don't want to disturb, regardless of their relative social status, but I'm sure that's not always true.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-context_and_low-context_c...

Question is ambiguous but I’ll answer “avoid being distracted” since that seems to be your meaning. Dewalt hearing protection is bright yellow. I brought a pair in because we had construction in the office a few months ago. I keep them at my desk and slip them on when conversations happen near my desk. It’s pretty clear to anyone paying attention that I’m doing it to focus, but I doubt more that one in five people notice. Nobody has commented once and if someone does actually need to talk to me they can still interrupt me. As for useless conversations at work... nobody is too invested in them so letting them peter out or ending them for the slightest excuse never causes much strife.

I wear headphones. Even to the grocery store etc. People won’t talk to you because they assume I can’t hear them.