What makes you whistle while you work?
Nothing brings my creativity at the keyboard alive like a little working music.
Since I do most of my work at a desk with a desktop computer, I have easy access to my digital music collection, which has enough variety and favorites to keep me going on the busiest of days.
Music doesn’t usually help me accomplish the administrative drudgery that comes with the business side of freelancing. If I’m dealing with a particularly knotty issue, or know I’ll be interrupted while I’m working, I tend not to worry about the tunes.
But when I am in the middle of a project, and I know I have hours to work, I’ll put a favorite playlist or album on repeat and just let my fingers do the talking. It’s amazing how that tempo gets my body and brain moving toward their common goals.
Studies have shown that your internal rhythms will sync to the music you have playing in the background. That’s why people choose upbeat dance music at the gym and tranquil, relaxing sounds for meditation or a hot bath. It’s all about finding the right music for your mood, or your intended goal.
A look at my recently played list includes artists like Bob Seger, Ingrid Michaelson, Fountains Of Wayne, ABBA, Rhianna, and Counting Crows. I feel like my playlists are all over the place, and sometimes when I’m really boring deep into an assignment, I’ll put an album or song on repeat so it fades into my subconscious.
I’m sure there are plenty of other writers out there who have their favorite music for writing, and maybe even different genres of music for different works. I’m just as certain that many writers out there need the silence to help them do their best.
I know that a good melody helps to inspire me, but I can’t say it should work for everyone.
What makes you whistle while you work? Do you have favorite tunes or can you handle the jarring juxtaposition of putting your music library on shuffle? Or are you the silent type, preferring the silence to coax out your thoughts?
Hum a few bars for me in the comments.
Photo: michaelaw/sxc.hu
Hi Pat
For years I’ve been writing in silence but in the past couple of months I’ve been teaching myself to write whilst listening to music. It’s wonderful! Music drowns out sounds of the neighbour’s yappy dog as well as my own internal dialogue that’s worrying about doing the washing or a shopping list or whatever…It seems to stop the drone of inner talk and the inner editor!
I listen to quite a bit of Portuguese music – Deolina, an album called Bar Lisboa which is a bit more dancy, Madredeus. When I need to really focus on details or something is difficult I switch to instrumental/classical only. Right now I’m loving David Darling’s ‘Prayers for Compassion’. Trip hop like Massive Attack is also good. Dead Can Dance has become my playlist for writing a certain ebook as the music suits the topic.
My productivity has gone up since listening to music again which has really surprised me! It’s a pleasure to sit down at my desk
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I’m glad you were able to make music work for you. I like what you said about it drowning out everything else…I live in a noisy apartment building, and headphones make a huge difference for me.
Thanks for reading!
Music works wonders for me, especially when I have little motivation.
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I have an 11 hour/188 song playlist on Spotify full of Broadway hits, movie theme songs and show-tunes that I listen to when I work. I also like jazz and the standards from the 50′s…I don’t listen to it any other time except when I’m working.
That sounds like quite a mix, Erika. I like that you keep your work music separate and only listen to it when you’re writing.
I always listen to music while writing something or working. It makes this process not so boring))
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Listening to music while writing makes me more inspired. So music has been a part of me every time I write.
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Music gives me more energy while i’m working or writing it enhance my knowledge. And it gives me a different feelings and motivation to write.
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I have a different feeling when I work with my computer and at the same I listen to my favorite songs. Actually I do also have a playlist on my lappy. And everyday I play it again and again. It makes me alive and my brain is ready to do the same.
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Listening while writing is a sort of inspiration for me especially ou are listening those music you love. I do have hundreds of collections of songs and I use to listen them everyday.
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