Posts tagged radio

Staying focused and avoiding distractions are common concerns of many home workers, and different people have very different means of achieving it.

For years I believed I needed to work entirely alone in my own space, well out of earshot of other people’s conversations, music or other interruptions. It wasn’t until we lived in a house where ‘my’ office was plenty big enough for both of us, and A started to spend some of his time working at a desk at the other end of the room, that I realised I was actually much better at tuning out noise than I’d thought.

I’d never have guessed I would be able to work alongside other people in a coworking space either, but you do adjust to the circumstances. These days when I go to Central I’ve noticed it always takes me ages to even start to hear the background music, but I’m not sure whether that just proves how nosy curious I am about my fellow coworkers or that the music is well-chosen and played at the right volume!

I know some people use different kinds of music to get themselves into the right mood and pace for the work they’re doing. I find a good jump around on the rebounder to some classic Bruce Springsteen is a guaranteed way of starting the day fired up or shaking off a bad mood, but I still don’t play music in my office.

I prefer to work in quietness, but other people find they can concentrate better if they play music or have the radio on in the background. Cherry Douglas of How To Change Careers told me the other day she has the radio on in the house to take away the dead quiet, but not so loud she’s able to listen to it!

Have you tried one of those apps that play ‘white noise’ to help you tune out unwelcome distractions? What are your ideal working conditions from a sound point of view? What’s on your favourite playlist for home working?

Image by fapen