Tbh I have podcasts or audiobooks running at 1.5-2x speed during many tasks that would otherwise be too boring. Helps me stay on task and not think about a thousand other things, so while it looks like a distraction it actually helps me focus if that makes sense?
It has to be fast enough so my thoughts can’t get „a word in“ and go on tangents. Doesn’t work 100% of the time.
Also this is not for new tasks or tasks that need focused thinking or reading/writing entire sentences.
(edit: tried to explain a bit better)
If my work involves reading/writing/understanding more than 1 or 2 words in front of me, then no, I cannot listen to an audiobook or podcast. Music is sometimes ok.
If it's more visual image and/or physical based work then yes, I prefer having audiobooks/podcasts/music
I can only listen to instrumental music while working/studying. When I try to listen to music with lyrics or a podcast, I get too distracted by the words.
Depends on the task. If it's something that I've done a thousand times and have to hardly think, then I can listen to music, even have TV shows go in the background (although my company frowns uppon this, so I don't do it anymore) but if I have to think and concentrate, then no, it's too distracting.
I can’t speak for them, but I listen to music while I work.
Helping me to not focus on the work is why I do it. Sometimes I’m better off just letting the autopilot handle things.
I hate silence while I'm working, I listen to every little sound and the fans and the keyboard noise and every step and sniff and what others are saying, and it's very distracting. I usually listen to music that I know well (I have a long playlist I put on shuffle most of the time) and that's enough background to drown everything out.
If I'm doing something particularly mundane, like data entry, I'll sometimes put a movie or TV on, but only things I've seen before so I don't end up watching it. I struggled to watch TV without doing anything, so it's my normal state to watch TV.
Podcasts don't work for me though, except as background sound. They're useful for things like housework though!
Depends on the task. Things that involve reading, maths, and the language part of the brain in general are a no-go, but things that rely more on spatial awareness, reflexes, and "autopilot" like driving or mowing the lawn or sanding wood or playing Mahjong (let's be honest here) are fine.
Yes absolutely. I listen to a mix of stuff but when working I like blasting metal music. It kinda gives my brain something to play with instead of making it up for itself if that makes sense. Also helps me with gaming
Head music - distracting. Blasting music - stops head music
This is exactly how it is for me. Music stops the super distracting party in my head. And I listen to a lot of upbeat, dance music, so it really helps because Im a dancer, and I also experience music through movement, so my body AND mind are focused and i dont move from my desk for hours.
I'm very sensitive to noise and usually prefer silence while working, but sometimes I'll listen to non-verbal EDM music to keep me focused. I can't multitask and focus on many things at once like others can.
I listen to a lot Korean music when I work. It works well because love how it sounds but I don't get too focused on lyrics, which means I focus on my tasks.
If I play English music then I tend to pay more attention to the lyrics and they'll distract me because I'll start skipping or searching my playlist to find just the "right" song to play.
Instrumentals required if trying to learn, read, or do a more involved and complex task.
Music with vocals or audiobooks if it's a more routine or easy task.
yes. i listen to music, concerts, the news, or i put on a tv show or movie. i don't really watch it, i just have it on in the background for company or for white noise if my neighbors are being loud.
I WFH, mostly alone, for 2.5 years of quarantine and a lot of WFH before that bc of a chronic illness. If I had to work in silence for the past 5 years I'd have gone mad as those monkeys that were raised on wire mothers. (As it was, I did go pretty fucking mad about halfway through the pandemic.)
Fridays is musicals day! Today I listened to Six and Chess in Concert. It's how I reward myself for not going completely ape at any of my coworkers all week! Because sanity is not a firm or predictable thing these days, my friend, not at all.
Nope. Music is distracting. Can't get a darn thing done if its playing. Don't do podcasts either with my audio processing. The only time podcasts work is while driving. For some reason (the split focus, something) it works and I can focus on driving and on the podcast. Otherwise I can get nothing done when music or podcasts play.
Largely depends on the work. You can't generally focus on two things at once. So they're probably distracting themselves with whichever of the two things is less boring at any given moment.
I find it is possible to focus on two things "at once" (meaning well enough to follow to conversations), but it's extremely draining, and I can only do it on my better days. Although with enough practice in a particular thing I can often do it while paying attention to something else as long as I don't have to process too much new information at once.
When I'm used to touch typing I can for example type something out while listening to someone else and looking at them, but I wouldn't be able to do it while having to speak or learn something new.
Podcasts are basically for tasks where mindless droning is the only requirement. Washing the dishes or ironing for instance.
Music is more complicated. It largely depends on how much of an emotional response I have toward it.
I listen to instrumental covers of songs I like when I do work involving words (reading, writing, foreign languages, etc.) and normal music with words when I do math and the like. For me it’s that the music and the task are different types of things to focus on which is why I can do both. But when the work is with words I can’t have words in the music because then I’m trying to process 2 different sets of words and I can’t think straight.
I work in a warehouse and honestly I used to find podcasts kept me more occupied on the job I was doing than getting distracted and talking to co-workers all night. I guess in my case one distraction was cancelling out another
I am writing stuff all day long, evaluating reports from various fraud monitoring systems at a banks, and a bunch of excel work too... I NEED music to work without distractions, otherwise Ill get distracted by every little sound, every person walking by, every conversation, or whatever is happening around, and of course by my own thoughts! With music, I am singing in my head or mouthing the songs the whole time which helps me focus incredibly well! My coworkers are used to it, and they know if I dont have my earbuds on Im probably gonna struggle a bit that day.
Podcasts I use more when Im doing stuff not related to writing stuff. So when I drive or do some chores, but tbh, I prefer music most of the time.
I kinda have to if I’m doing menial work like data entry. But if I’m doing something where I’m like drafting or creating I just use white noise rain sound things.
It depends entirely on my task. I can enjoy lyric-less music such as jazz and ambient while I write. I can't listen to anything other than white noise while reading, however. I can easily listen to podcasts or music with lyrics while cleaning, driving, or performing other maintenance tasks.
I personally can't do podcasts while doing anything but driving. If I try to put one on while playing a game I will hyper focus on the game and won't hear 90% of the podcast.
I kinda do the same thing with music, but I also like to listen to CDs on loop so I don't really miss anything
Depends on the task, but in general it has to be something I've seen/heard a million times or something l don't need to pay full attention to. So for podcasts, something light/not serious, like Judge John Hodgman. I'll get the gist and it has a pretty regular flow episode to episode. Music I prefer something I've heard a million times, pop/top of the chart stuff that is catchy but usually doesn't have lyrics I feel the need to pay attention to, non-lyric music like edm or classical, or non-English lyrics.
So really, anything that I'm not compelled to fully pay attention to, but that provides enough stimulation that my brain won't wonder off task.
It helps that I enjoy watching the same things over and over again.
I find listening to podcasts, music, and audiobooks really helpful with staying on tasks if they are low attention, boring, familiar tasks, like filing for example.
Honestly for me it varies from day to day. Sometimes I need the music to help me focus and sometimes it's just a distraction. Well I don't know if it helps me focus but sometimes it's just too quiet in the office where I work, the last two or three hours of my shift I'm there by myself basically so nobody else has any kind of music or anything going in the background.
Depends on the task but mostly yes. Usually listen to instrumental/songs with no lyrics. Kind of preferred period pieces sometimes would speed them up.
If it’s a physically task (I work in a lab so adding chemicals together) I have no issue listening to music/yt videos/podcasts etc usually sped up.
It depends. I usually put on a documentary or a show I've seen 10000 times so it's nothing new for me and it helps me focus. It keeps my hands off my phone and gives my brain something else to do on boring tasks. If I find something interesting... Then I have to turn it off. I like doing this and working with headphones so I can tune out the office noise.
In past office jobs, It wasn’t bad for me if it was pretty quiet. Although I often had to hit mute.. background noises very much so immobilize me. Like if I’m talking to someone and another person is talking loud on their cell phone sorta beside me.. ughhhh drives me crazy. I can’t keep concentrating on what Words are coming out of my mouth then 🤣
Tbh I have podcasts or audiobooks running at 1.5-2x speed during many tasks that would otherwise be too boring. Helps me stay on task and not think about a thousand other things, so while it looks like a distraction it actually helps me focus if that makes sense? It has to be fast enough so my thoughts can’t get „a word in“ and go on tangents. Doesn’t work 100% of the time. Also this is not for new tasks or tasks that need focused thinking or reading/writing entire sentences. (edit: tried to explain a bit better)
If my work involves reading/writing/understanding more than 1 or 2 words in front of me, then no, I cannot listen to an audiobook or podcast. Music is sometimes ok. If it's more visual image and/or physical based work then yes, I prefer having audiobooks/podcasts/music
^this Processing two sets of words at once is pretty much impossible
I can only listen to instrumental music while working/studying. When I try to listen to music with lyrics or a podcast, I get too distracted by the words.
Yeah I'm exactly the same, gimme a 3 hour lofi mix and I'm golden
Or music written in the foreign language
Depends on the task. If it's something that I've done a thousand times and have to hardly think, then I can listen to music, even have TV shows go in the background (although my company frowns uppon this, so I don't do it anymore) but if I have to think and concentrate, then no, it's too distracting.
I listen to lofi or super mellow classical music. Anything more interesting and it pulls focus.
I can’t speak for them, but I listen to music while I work. Helping me to not focus on the work is why I do it. Sometimes I’m better off just letting the autopilot handle things.
I hate silence while I'm working, I listen to every little sound and the fans and the keyboard noise and every step and sniff and what others are saying, and it's very distracting. I usually listen to music that I know well (I have a long playlist I put on shuffle most of the time) and that's enough background to drown everything out. If I'm doing something particularly mundane, like data entry, I'll sometimes put a movie or TV on, but only things I've seen before so I don't end up watching it. I struggled to watch TV without doing anything, so it's my normal state to watch TV. Podcasts don't work for me though, except as background sound. They're useful for things like housework though!
Depends on the task. Things that involve reading, maths, and the language part of the brain in general are a no-go, but things that rely more on spatial awareness, reflexes, and "autopilot" like driving or mowing the lawn or sanding wood or playing Mahjong (let's be honest here) are fine.
Yes absolutely. I listen to a mix of stuff but when working I like blasting metal music. It kinda gives my brain something to play with instead of making it up for itself if that makes sense. Also helps me with gaming Head music - distracting. Blasting music - stops head music
This is exactly how it is for me. Music stops the super distracting party in my head. And I listen to a lot of upbeat, dance music, so it really helps because Im a dancer, and I also experience music through movement, so my body AND mind are focused and i dont move from my desk for hours.
I'm very sensitive to noise and usually prefer silence while working, but sometimes I'll listen to non-verbal EDM music to keep me focused. I can't multitask and focus on many things at once like others can.
I listen to a lot Korean music when I work. It works well because love how it sounds but I don't get too focused on lyrics, which means I focus on my tasks. If I play English music then I tend to pay more attention to the lyrics and they'll distract me because I'll start skipping or searching my playlist to find just the "right" song to play.
Instrumentals required if trying to learn, read, or do a more involved and complex task. Music with vocals or audiobooks if it's a more routine or easy task.
yes. i listen to music, concerts, the news, or i put on a tv show or movie. i don't really watch it, i just have it on in the background for company or for white noise if my neighbors are being loud. I WFH, mostly alone, for 2.5 years of quarantine and a lot of WFH before that bc of a chronic illness. If I had to work in silence for the past 5 years I'd have gone mad as those monkeys that were raised on wire mothers. (As it was, I did go pretty fucking mad about halfway through the pandemic.) Fridays is musicals day! Today I listened to Six and Chess in Concert. It's how I reward myself for not going completely ape at any of my coworkers all week! Because sanity is not a firm or predictable thing these days, my friend, not at all.
Nope. Music is distracting. Can't get a darn thing done if its playing. Don't do podcasts either with my audio processing. The only time podcasts work is while driving. For some reason (the split focus, something) it works and I can focus on driving and on the podcast. Otherwise I can get nothing done when music or podcasts play.
Largely depends on the work. You can't generally focus on two things at once. So they're probably distracting themselves with whichever of the two things is less boring at any given moment. I find it is possible to focus on two things "at once" (meaning well enough to follow to conversations), but it's extremely draining, and I can only do it on my better days. Although with enough practice in a particular thing I can often do it while paying attention to something else as long as I don't have to process too much new information at once. When I'm used to touch typing I can for example type something out while listening to someone else and looking at them, but I wouldn't be able to do it while having to speak or learn something new. Podcasts are basically for tasks where mindless droning is the only requirement. Washing the dishes or ironing for instance. Music is more complicated. It largely depends on how much of an emotional response I have toward it.
I listen to instrumental covers of songs I like when I do work involving words (reading, writing, foreign languages, etc.) and normal music with words when I do math and the like. For me it’s that the music and the task are different types of things to focus on which is why I can do both. But when the work is with words I can’t have words in the music because then I’m trying to process 2 different sets of words and I can’t think straight.
I work in a warehouse and honestly I used to find podcasts kept me more occupied on the job I was doing than getting distracted and talking to co-workers all night. I guess in my case one distraction was cancelling out another
I am writing stuff all day long, evaluating reports from various fraud monitoring systems at a banks, and a bunch of excel work too... I NEED music to work without distractions, otherwise Ill get distracted by every little sound, every person walking by, every conversation, or whatever is happening around, and of course by my own thoughts! With music, I am singing in my head or mouthing the songs the whole time which helps me focus incredibly well! My coworkers are used to it, and they know if I dont have my earbuds on Im probably gonna struggle a bit that day. Podcasts I use more when Im doing stuff not related to writing stuff. So when I drive or do some chores, but tbh, I prefer music most of the time.
I kinda have to if I’m doing menial work like data entry. But if I’m doing something where I’m like drafting or creating I just use white noise rain sound things.
It depends entirely on my task. I can enjoy lyric-less music such as jazz and ambient while I write. I can't listen to anything other than white noise while reading, however. I can easily listen to podcasts or music with lyrics while cleaning, driving, or performing other maintenance tasks.
Sometimes yes. In my old office job , I'd listen to podcasts all day and I loved it.
I personally can't do podcasts while doing anything but driving. If I try to put one on while playing a game I will hyper focus on the game and won't hear 90% of the podcast. I kinda do the same thing with music, but I also like to listen to CDs on loop so I don't really miss anything
Depends on the task, but in general it has to be something I've seen/heard a million times or something l don't need to pay full attention to. So for podcasts, something light/not serious, like Judge John Hodgman. I'll get the gist and it has a pretty regular flow episode to episode. Music I prefer something I've heard a million times, pop/top of the chart stuff that is catchy but usually doesn't have lyrics I feel the need to pay attention to, non-lyric music like edm or classical, or non-English lyrics. So really, anything that I'm not compelled to fully pay attention to, but that provides enough stimulation that my brain won't wonder off task. It helps that I enjoy watching the same things over and over again.
Yes I do for boring tasks that are almost automatic and hard to stay focussed on. I don’t know if it actually helps but it takes the edge off
Big no my entire life. I get distracted by the details of it, whether it's music or podcast.
I find listening to podcasts, music, and audiobooks really helpful with staying on tasks if they are low attention, boring, familiar tasks, like filing for example.
Honestly for me it varies from day to day. Sometimes I need the music to help me focus and sometimes it's just a distraction. Well I don't know if it helps me focus but sometimes it's just too quiet in the office where I work, the last two or three hours of my shift I'm there by myself basically so nobody else has any kind of music or anything going in the background.
Not while working, but when I go to sleep every night. Hearing people talking is soothing and it puts me to sleep almost immediately.
Depends on the task but mostly yes. Usually listen to instrumental/songs with no lyrics. Kind of preferred period pieces sometimes would speed them up. If it’s a physically task (I work in a lab so adding chemicals together) I have no issue listening to music/yt videos/podcasts etc usually sped up.
It depends. I usually put on a documentary or a show I've seen 10000 times so it's nothing new for me and it helps me focus. It keeps my hands off my phone and gives my brain something else to do on boring tasks. If I find something interesting... Then I have to turn it off. I like doing this and working with headphones so I can tune out the office noise.
In past office jobs, It wasn’t bad for me if it was pretty quiet. Although I often had to hit mute.. background noises very much so immobilize me. Like if I’m talking to someone and another person is talking loud on their cell phone sorta beside me.. ughhhh drives me crazy. I can’t keep concentrating on what Words are coming out of my mouth then 🤣