Music & Programming
Bear with me; this post is a bit of fluff but fun, and I think nearly every tech blog has featured something similar at one stage or another. I haven’t written here in a very long time, like over a year. Since then, a lot has happened. I’ve changed my role in my job, completed a level 3 course in People Management, and a lot of other stuff that has happened. I have wanted to write this for a long time after seeing the topic on some advice for writing a blog article, and it sounded like a bit of fun. I put it off because I thought it was crap, but now I want to get back into the habit of writing.
When I listen to Music
I like to listen to music when I’m working, and mainly it is to block out office distractions or to help build a bit of flow when I need to focus and not get distracted by my environment. However, even with working from home with no distractions, it is useful to use headphones rather than using speakers to disassociate myself from my surroundings.
How I listen
With my ears… and Spotify
If I’m home alone, I still tend to use my speakers because it is nice not to have my headphones on me as I would in the office or when my girlfriend is working from home.
My speakers are Bose Companion 5 USB speakers that I had had for a very long time, probably before I was even in college. That was a long time ago, so they don’t have Bluetooth or any other wireless connectivity. To upgrade them, I connected them to an Echo Dot with a stereo cable.
My headphones are Sony Noise Cancelling WH1000xm2, and they are great for in the office or blocking out noise at home.
I’m not an audiophile but, saying that I do like to have decent quality sound. Both of these are perfect for me; I’m happy to trade off some sound quality that I don’t really notice for the convenience of easy connectivity and, in the case of the headphones, not being connected to my pc with a wire. I was an early adopter of Bluetooth headphones back in 2008/9 and never went back. I didn’t miss standing up and pulling earbuds out of my ear, snagging cables, or pulling my laptop with me when I stood up.
What I listen to
What I listen to varies a lot depending on my mood, energy levels, and what I’m working on.
If I need to focus and get something done, like fixing bugs or L3 support, I end to put on music that wouldn’t be my favourite, but I don’t mind, like classic/pop hits, or I could go with something like Reggaeton where I don’t understand the lyrics. So this is basically when I need to distract myself and get something done quickly, whether I want to or not.
If I know what I need to do and want to get into a flow, I go with My Liked Songs on Spotify. I find it helps to know the songs, so I don’t get distracted by a new song that I like but have never heard. Liking the songs tends to keep my energy up, and I don’t lose focus hitting next or looking for a different song.
Recently when I’m in a more chilled mood or tired, I have started to listen to classical or jazz. When I say chilled or tired, I mean I’m feeling pretentious and think I’m an intellectual with many leather-bound books. To be fair, I keep this for evenings or weekend mornings. Generally, it is when I want to read up on something or write or work on documentation. I tend to gravitate to instrumental music rather than anything with lyrics. Retro New Wave & Lo-fi Beats are also starting to make an appearance in this section now too.
Podcasts ?
I love them, but I don’t find them the best for being productive. So, although they do have their place, I keep them for when I have something to do that doesn’t require much brainpower, like filling out a form for a process, admin work, or writing boilerplate code.
I find that a definite no is tech podcasts where I’m trying to learn something. I get no benefit from them because I can’t give the Podcast the necessary attention, so I get nothing from it.
My advice is to stick to light and entertaining podcasts like sports, true crime, or general interest.
TV
Ye, why not! Just keep it to your own time on your side project. It’s definitely not the most productive way to work, but you don’t need to be uber-productive & hyper-efficient all the time. You are allowed to enjoy yourself, especially on your side project. It is the benefit of working on your own stuff for yourself. I enjoy light T.V like Revenge, NCIS, or Suits when I’m sitting on the couch with my laptop. I tend to keep it to experimenting with a bit of code, skimming articles about soft skills, or working on something small or easy.