

Ask HN: Does listening to music keep you focused? - adambenayoun

I've read an article about the new trend in the Olympic games is that swimmers are walking out to the pool wearing headphones - and keeping them on right up until the last seconds before they climb onto the blocks.<p>It seems that music keep them concentrated up until the last minute when they jump onto the pool and it allows them to not be distracted by the crowd.<p>I am now curious what kind of music you guys are listening to in order to stay focus and increase your concentration.<p>Anyone?
======
dsirijus
Some funk or disco (Sly and the Family Stone) in the morning to start the
engines, some non-vocal groove (Medeski, Martin & Wood) throughout the day,
and some energetic rock (Queen) to draw out extra juice by the end of the day.

When going gets tough, some really loud noise (Mike Patton).

When I learn something new intensively, some baroque polyphony or nothing.

Of course, the music I really care about I don't listen while I'm working.

~~~
adambenayoun
Thanks for sharing this

~~~
dsirijus
It's about controlling your emotional response (not dynamics really), which
music does great. And you have the ability to control what you listen to.
Conclusion is self-evident.

------
penguat
I find it helps when there are loud conversations going on. I am normally more
inclined to listen to the conversations than focus on my work. Other than
that, it can be distracting.

I'm quite a fan of <http://musicforprogramming.net/>

~~~
Paul_S
This is just noise. You might as well use actual white noise at this point.
Different strokes I guess.

------
why-el
I stay focused with pretty much anything in my ears. Sometimes I even listen
to very thoughtful discussions while coding, like an interview with the maker
of The Wire for instance :) It won't work for most people, but it does for me.

With this said, music is the most effective, and I am currently rocking it
with the lastest album by Passion Pit called Gossamer (available on Spotify
US).

------
yolesaber
Bop jazz (e.g. miles and parker, early Coltrane, Monk) really puts me in the
Zone. The complexity and intricacy of the music keep my brain going even if
I'm stuck on a problem, so I rarely get up from my workstation. I just lean
back and close my eyes, letting the cascading melodies wash over my mind. A
solo or two later and I'm back on the keyboard.

------
tokenrove
I do listen to music sometimes when programming, but it's interesting to note
the study cited in DeMarco and Lister's Peopleware (IIRC) where they found
programmers (in a ridiculously contrived study) who listened to music produced
"less inventive" solutions than those who didn't. I've always taken that as an
interesting caveat.

------
dsirijus
About the olympics guys listening to music right up to climbing on blocks....

It might be that they need to maintain a particular rhythm in swimming, and
they're just playing the song which happens to be or is artificially made to
be that exact target ideal beat.

Might even be that there's no music in there, just the beat.

~~~
adambenayoun
Interesting take - I've read that their fans are unpleased with this trend.
Also - I'm wondering if Sun Yang who got had a Dr. DRE headphone received
money to endorse this product.

------
kellros
Music in itself is distracting - especially if you love certain music and
dislike doing work - then you will focus on what you love.

Music will only help you concentrate if the music is about the very thing you
want to be concentrating on.

Perhaps they are listening to some variation of "SWIM SWIM SWIM".

~~~
dsirijus
I've found silenced office much more distracting than one filled with some
tunes or radio.

You might recall the article about anacoustic chamber here on HN - the very
silence of it made you brain perceive otherwise imperceptible sounds much
louder.

------
imp
Well, part of the reason the swimmers are wearing headphones is that they got
them free: [http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/branding/beats-by-
dr...](http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/branding/beats-by-dre-causes-
marketing-controversy-1007708552.story)

------
allstruck
I have a "motivation" playlist on Spotify, the songs either have lyrics which
are either motivating or non-existent. I find while coding or writing that
lyrics can get in the way too so I have some playlists which are focused on
purely lyric-free songs...

------
eshvk
I usually listen to Post Rock (e.g. Explosions in the sky) when I write code.
It is mostly (99%) instrumental and that helps me avoid voices of any kind.
Also, invest in really good headphones/earphones. That helps block out sound
of any kind.

------
lazyjones
Usually oldschool techno/house music ... but nowdays I find myself being
distracted too much by things on the screen (curse this 27" display...) so I
should probably consider using blinders.

------
AznHisoka
I tend to listen to anything with no lyrics, or at least things I can't
understand like foreign music. Otherwise it is distracting.

------
munimkazia
Depends on the kind of work. For more trivial tasks, music helps in
concentration. Otherwise, it is distracting.

------
renas
Yep it does! No doubts about that.

Of course you should not shield yourself from healthy office talks :-D

------
jpswade
plusfm helps me get "into the zone"

<http://www.plusfm.net/>

