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I absolutely agree that my best work is done in a silent atmosphere. I can't even listen to music, it's so distracting. But, having observed this, I tried lock

I absolutely agree that my best work is done in a silent atmosphere. I can't even listen to music, it's so distracting. But, having observed this, I tried locking myself in a completely private apartment all day, with the perfect ergonomic desk and everything, and waited for the magic to happen. That turns out to be too much of a good thing. It just does not work. I knew that I was cracking up when I went to the barber one afternoon and it ended up being the highlight of my day. When you find yourself tearing up at the prospect of spending fifteen glorious minutes making stupid small talk with a barber that you've never met before you know that you're spending too much time alone. My guess is that what I really need is a small private office (home office, or otherwise) within easy walking distance of a library or coffeeshop or, better yet, both. Mix it up a little.

chewbranca 16y ago
Silence is great, but sometimes silence can be, well, too silent. I bounce back and forth between coffee shops and my home office, because sometimes I want to sit at home in silence or listen to music, and othertimes sitting at a coffee shop with a lot of ambient noise helps me get into the zone. Something about having a lot of random noise around that I don't care about listening too helps me concentrate.
- rjprins 16y ago
  http://www.simplynoise.com http://www.simplynoise.com and/or http://www.rainymood.com http://www.rainymood.com
  - limmeau 16y ago
    Or more customizable: http://boodler.org/ http://boodler.org/
- frossie 16y ago
  sometimes I want to sit at home in silence or listen to music, and othertimes sitting at a coffee shop with a lot of ambient noise helps me get into the zone Sounds like a DIY version of the Hawthorne effect - you just need to occasionally change your environment, it doesn't matter what to, because change itself is stimulating.
- larrywright 16y ago
  When I need to focus, I listen to music, but it has to be instrumental. Jazz, classical, even ambient (Brian Eno's "Music for Airports" is my go-to album for focusing). I've also used noise generators, like Ambience for the iPhone, or Bloom (also by Brian Eno). I have a real hard time getting focused unless there is some sort of music playing.

chewbranca 16y ago

Silence is great, but sometimes silence can be, well, too silent. I bounce back and forth between coffee shops and my home office, because sometimes I want to sit at home in silence or listen to music, and othertimes sitting at a coffee shop with a lot of ambient noise helps me get into the zone. Something about having a lot of random noise around that I don't care about listening too helps me concentrate.

rjprins 16y ago
http://www.simplynoise.com http://www.simplynoise.com and/or http://www.rainymood.com http://www.rainymood.com
- limmeau 16y ago
  Or more customizable: http://boodler.org/ http://boodler.org/
frossie 16y ago
sometimes I want to sit at home in silence or listen to music, and othertimes sitting at a coffee shop with a lot of ambient noise helps me get into the zone Sounds like a DIY version of the Hawthorne effect - you just need to occasionally change your environment, it doesn't matter what to, because change itself is stimulating.
larrywright 16y ago
When I need to focus, I listen to music, but it has to be instrumental. Jazz, classical, even ambient (Brian Eno's "Music for Airports" is my go-to album for focusing). I've also used noise generators, like Ambience for the iPhone, or Bloom (also by Brian Eno). I have a real hard time getting focused unless there is some sort of music playing.