📝 This Week’s Goal: Find music that inspires but doesn’t distract.
Photo by John Matychuk on Unsplash, Edited by the author.
I had an administration day recently. You know, a day spent catching up on emails and connecting with clients. It’s not my favorite thing to do but a necessary part of any freelancer’s workflow.
As my stomach notified me lunch was around the corner, I realized there was no sound in my office. No music. No rain. No background TV. Nothing. Apparently, I was in such a flow state I didn’t notice the complete silence around me.
It got me wondering if I was a crazy person, standing for hours at my desk in a soundless void. I asked our Facebook group and was utterly shocked to learn I wasn’t alone! Turns out there are many of us silent people out there.
While I am entirely comfortable operating in silence, I also enjoy background music that inspires by doesn’t distract from what I’m writing. I have a few go-to Apple Music playlists while in my office, ranging from acoustic covers to epic movie scores.
Right now, Y2K Pop is playing Thong Song by Sisqo, because of course it is. Inspiring? Not exactly. Distracting? Since I’ve been listening to Y2K Pop since it was on the radio, no? (For those wondering, the radio was Spotify before the internet.) Then again, I just spent the entire song writing this aside, so, maybe?
Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes. Inspiring and non-distracting music. The point is, there is no right or wrong way to work. If you’re on team sound-of-silence, awesome. If you need noise, find something that enhances what you’re doing and doesn’t inspire stream-of-conscious sidetracks. Unless that’s what you’re going for, of course.
💬 What do you listen to while writing?
👀 Read more from The Writing Cooperative on writing playlists:
10 (Mostly) Instrumental Albums to Soundtrack Your Writing by Dan Knight
How To Reinvigorate Your Writing Soundtrack by Leigh Fisher
7 Tips To Success During NaNoWriMo by Ron Dawson
What’s On Your Desk-Work Playlist? was originally published in The Writing Cooperative on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
Read more: writingcooperative.com