Music for work/concentration

lasermonkey

Although I'm easily distracted, (actually, incredibly easily distracted) I find that any music I like helps me concentrate. I was lucky at my last job, as I had my own room and so installed an amp and speakers to play my iPod through. Perfect for drowning out the utter shit that the idiot apprentices listened to on Radio One.
 In particular, I find that ambient and downtempo electronic stuff helps most of all. Stuff like Eno/Budd, Boards of Canada, early Autechre, that sort of thing.

Lebarque

I listen to an internet radio station called Chilltrax. Great for concentration
https://www.chilltrax.com/playlist/player.html

Philly_Q

Listening to music when I'm actually at work isn't an option, but if I'm working at home I like a bit of background noise.  I don't think it helps me concentrate, but it does stop me losing track of time.

As for the type of music, it'll be something instrumental or mostly instrumental, and not too harsh or jarring.  My Sleeping Karma is perfect.  

Not necessarily music at all though.  I usually do some work on Sunday afternoons - boring admin stuff - and I just have five episodes of Come Dine With Me on More 4 on the TV.  Not actually watching it, it's just there in the background.

Sporky

Philly_Q said:

 I don't think it helps me concentrate, but it does stop me losing track of time.

I use two approaches; I am pretty sure my concentration is helped by mellow stuff (mostly because it's drowning out background noise), and my creativity is helped by having distracting music on - I find that stopping thinking about the problem quite often results in solutions popping into my brain that wouldn't occur if I was actively thinking about them.

On the other hand, other people's music infuriates me to the extent that I can't work and just want to destroy whatever is producing it. In the office they put Christmas music on for the last few days before the break and I have to wear earplugs or earbud headphones or I can't get anything done.

stickyfiddle

I flit between needing music and needing no music depending on what I'm doing. 

If I'm doing any heavy excel coding I need something noisy to keep me moving forward. If i'm writing some complicated analysis document then often I don't want anything. I think it's a question of whether it's creative and/or process-heavy task or more an analysis-based thing.

Alternatively, when I go up to our Dubai office, it's so bloody loud the aim becomes simply to block out enough of other people's noise so I can concentrate at all.

Whatever I listen to though, I do find I can quite often put on an album, pay attention to the first 2 tracks, then ignore it until the last song or two and realise I've done a good half hour's work without even noticing the time go by.

Snap

I work with numbers, analysis, data and drawing conclusions: its all stuff that requires frequent deep analystical thought. I have music on all day, every day. Usually it is mellow ambient stuff, classical or laid back electronica. Soptify do some good playlists, electronica for concentration, or somesuch.

Sometimes, when I am tired or need to think really hard, I willl turn it off, but mostly I like to have it on. RIght now I'm lisetning to the reissue of Leftism, which is in parts pretty thumping. Next up I reckon I may put on some of Brian Eno's early ambient stuff.

Loscil is one of my favourite artists - all his stuff is very mellow and soundscapish. Also A Winged Victory for the Sullen - I like all their albums.

Sporky

Snap said:

Also A Winged Victory for the Sullen - I like all their albums.

Excellent call.

They're an utter shambles live though.

Teetonetal

Jean Michel Jarre for me. 

andyp

Interesting thread...

I used to work in a small office or a site office in a cabin and music just wasn't an option there, for whole raft of reasons. For the last 5 years I've worked in a large open plan office with hundreds of people (albeit not that many in my immediate area of the office) wandering about of having conversations of all types. I can't concentrate well at all in that type of environment, I keep looking up to see who it is that's walking by, or something in a conversation draws my attention (work or non-work related). If I stick music on I can't hear much of the ambient distractions and it simply stops me from looking up or getting dragged into whatever is going on, unless someone wants me specifically for something. A lot of conversations are over instant message here too (locations all over the place) so I can do that without breaking from my work.

The same thing as mentioned above happens to me, most of the time I don't even hear the music that's on and I definitely do concentrate on my work more effectively when it's busy in the office. Also, music helps a lot when I work late too, even with nobody around as it stops me thinking about the time and whether I'm hungry or not...   Silence is the only answer for some issues though.

Choice of music / bands are all my usual stuff - which can be almost anything - there's certainly nothing I choose specifically for concentration. I do find at times I stick something on and it just doesn't work for whatever reason, so have to choose something else. I listen to podcasts at times too, but they are generally too distracting or I don't hear a word they've said... which kind of defeats the purpose, but still blocks out the rest of the rabble round about me.

Winny_Pooh

Bluegrass

Snap

Right now, Brian Eno's latest: Reflection

its very soothing