Depends on the task for me. Some kinds of concentration benefit from a little music, others suffer, and some are neutral. Film scores are definitely among my favorite concentration pieces, though, and Guthrie Govan is my go-to for busy work or cooking (if I’m not doing an audiobook).
At my desk at home I can listen to what I want, when I want. I favor Bach, for example the Six Suites for Cello or other works, other classical and jazz including Sonny Rollins, Sidney Bechet and others. Also some popular, but I have trouble working with songs with words. Lots of stuff!
During college I discovered that I could have just about any music playing when I was working on math-related work: calculus, physics, thermodynamics, engineering. If I needed to write an essay, draft a report, read a critique, then strictly classical music or silence.
Pretty much the same 30 years later. I suspect it’s a left vs. right brain thing for me.
I can usually handle it if its someone else’s choosing, unless its very, very faint. I would rather it be bad music I dislike at a normal volume then my brain periodically sensing “do I hear something?”
If its of my choosing, I would prefer classical, even though that isn’t what I normally listen to when not working. It breaks up the silence without being distracting.
If I’m at work and a particular colleague is talking I’ll play pink noise or a box fan loop loud enough to blunt the edges of her interminable silliness and irritating voice. Just sounds like my computer is working hard.
I work from home. Most days I turn the radio on first thing in the morning and it stays on all day. Usually the (ad-free) classical station, sometimes the (ad-free) jazz station or the “adult album alternative” station.
Depends on the work being done. If it’s something repetitive that I can do on autopilot, then music is great. If I have to concentrate, I prefer silence.
I almost always have something on when I’m working: music or a podcast. If I’m writing, I can’t have a podcast on, so I’ll switch to music for that, but specifically it has to be music that I’ve heard a million times before so I don’t have to use the part of my brain that tries to process lyrics.
I like having it on at work. when I remember to do it. Sometimes i forget. Or turn it down for meetings and forget to turn it back up. Then realize it’s quiet an hour later. I use it like the radio in the car. With online radio.
Ive almost never bought music. Cause it’s just not that important to me. And I’m fine with radio. As long as there is no annoying ass DJ running any kind of “show”.
Can’t imagine needing a reason to have earphones or deal with music on my phone but I’m weird so.
i said i hate it but could deal with it but i suppose it depends on the music and the volume of aforementioned music, and what it is i’m doing. i love music which is why i just find it really distracting when i’m trying to get something done. i like to listen to music when i’m driving, or sometimes cooking/doing dishes, or of course at a party or a bar/club (and while getting ready for such an occasion - in The Before Times).
if i’m doing design work in an office setting, i prefer to hear only Office Sounds, but at home i might have on tv, twitch, or npr. (but still often, silence - which is a relative term when you live in a densely packed city with neighbors who can’t go a day without doing something loud in the yard.) i have one channel on twitch, turtles and chill, it’s just one person’s aquarium from different angles and they play “chill” music most of the time and i put that on occasionally. otherwise if it’s twitch it’s usually an FPS - don’t ask me why i find the sounds of video game gunfire and explosions soothing when i’m so sensitive to sounds, i can’t explain it.
i cleaned houses for awhile - in those instances i liked listening to podcasts since i didn’t need my brain for concentration/focus and could use it for something else.
I don’t dislike music while working, but honestly I can’t do 98% of my job while listening to music.
I enjoy the 2% of the time where I’m doing something simple and/or repetitive and I can listen to music, but I have anything I actually enjoy on if I want to really concentrate, and that’s the other 98% of my job.
I regularly listen to Brownian noise if I need to drown out hallway conversations.
It all depends. If I’m more or less tired, the song’s more or less familiar, and I’m trying to think harder or trying to concentrate better but not think that hard.
Usually a familiar nice song helps me concentrate, unless it’s a difficult problem or I’m the wrong kind of tired or I’ve been working for maybe three hours already.
Depends on the work and the music. I can deal with music with lyrics if I don’t have to read for a task, but typically I have a podcast on for all other types of work.
Depends on the task for me. Some kinds of concentration benefit from a little music, others suffer, and some are neutral. Film scores are definitely among my favorite concentration pieces, though, and Guthrie Govan is my go-to for busy work or cooking (if I’m not doing an audiobook).
I listen to a very wide variety of music while drowning out my coworkers.
At my desk at home I can listen to what I want, when I want. I favor Bach, for example the Six Suites for Cello or other works, other classical and jazz including Sonny Rollins, Sidney Bechet and others. Also some popular, but I have trouble working with songs with words. Lots of stuff!
It needs to be instrumental, so I’m not singing along. Usually it’s jazz, which drowns out the office/home banter while working.
Classical for creative work, like presentations for management. Rock and alternative for working with spreadsheets and their algorithms.
During college I discovered that I could have just about any music playing when I was working on math-related work: calculus, physics, thermodynamics, engineering. If I needed to write an essay, draft a report, read a critique, then strictly classical music or silence.
Pretty much the same 30 years later. I suspect it’s a left vs. right brain thing for me.
I can usually handle it if its someone else’s choosing, unless its very, very faint. I would rather it be bad music I dislike at a normal volume then my brain periodically sensing “do I hear something?”
If its of my choosing, I would prefer classical, even though that isn’t what I normally listen to when not working. It breaks up the silence without being distracting.
If I’m at work and a particular colleague is talking I’ll play pink noise or a box fan loop loud enough to blunt the edges of her interminable silliness and irritating voice. Just sounds like my computer is working hard.
@elfle I don’t have to play a music file for that noise.
I work from home. Most days I turn the radio on first thing in the morning and it stays on all day. Usually the (ad-free) classical station, sometimes the (ad-free) jazz station or the “adult album alternative” station.
It occupies that part of my brain that doesn’t want to be here. This frees up the “Okay, let’s get this done” part of my brain to do work.
Also it drowns out the screams.
I recommend active noise cancellation as well.
@PocketBrain
Depends on the work being done. If it’s something repetitive that I can do on autopilot, then music is great. If I have to concentrate, I prefer silence.
I almost always have something on when I’m working: music or a podcast. If I’m writing, I can’t have a podcast on, so I’ll switch to music for that, but specifically it has to be music that I’ve heard a million times before so I don’t have to use the part of my brain that tries to process lyrics.
I like having it on at work. when I remember to do it. Sometimes i forget. Or turn it down for meetings and forget to turn it back up. Then realize it’s quiet an hour later. I use it like the radio in the car. With online radio.
Ive almost never bought music. Cause it’s just not that important to me. And I’m fine with radio. As long as there is no annoying ass DJ running any kind of “show”.
Can’t imagine needing a reason to have earphones or deal with music on my phone but I’m weird so.
i said i hate it but could deal with it but i suppose it depends on the music and the volume of aforementioned music, and what it is i’m doing. i love music which is why i just find it really distracting when i’m trying to get something done. i like to listen to music when i’m driving, or sometimes cooking/doing dishes, or of course at a party or a bar/club (and while getting ready for such an occasion - in The Before Times).
if i’m doing design work in an office setting, i prefer to hear only Office Sounds, but at home i might have on tv, twitch, or npr. (but still often, silence - which is a relative term when you live in a densely packed city with neighbors who can’t go a day without doing something loud in the yard.) i have one channel on twitch, turtles and chill, it’s just one person’s aquarium from different angles and they play “chill” music most of the time and i put that on occasionally. otherwise if it’s twitch it’s usually an FPS - don’t ask me why i find the sounds of video game gunfire and explosions soothing when i’m so sensitive to sounds, i can’t explain it.
i cleaned houses for awhile - in those instances i liked listening to podcasts since i didn’t need my brain for concentration/focus and could use it for something else.
I don’t dislike music while working, but honestly I can’t do 98% of my job while listening to music.
I enjoy the 2% of the time where I’m doing something simple and/or repetitive and I can listen to music, but I have anything I actually enjoy on if I want to really concentrate, and that’s the other 98% of my job.
I regularly listen to Brownian noise if I need to drown out hallway conversations.
Sixties, seventies, and eighties. Otherwise not a real fan of background music. Particularly not holiday themed!
It all depends. If I’m more or less tired, the song’s more or less familiar, and I’m trying to think harder or trying to concentrate better but not think that hard.
Usually a familiar nice song helps me concentrate, unless it’s a difficult problem or I’m the wrong kind of tired or I’ve been working for maybe three hours already.
Nonvocal and very familiar songs are best.
I usually listen to audio books while I work rather than music.
Depends on the work and the music. I can deal with music with lyrics if I don’t have to read for a task, but typically I have a podcast on for all other types of work.