“On repeat”: repetitive music tracks help you concentrate – what you can listen to

On our blog, we published a selection of services that help to dive headlong into the task and write code – there there were sounds of nature, negotiations of airport dispatchers under quiet ambient, as well as noise with office atmosphere – with the bang of a printer and a coffee machine. Today we will talk about an alternative for these services and a way to catch concentration. It turns out that the same track, listened to dozens of times in a row, helps to enter the flow state. The method has its own amateurs who willingly share their recommendations.

Photo: Roman Synkevych.  Source: Unsplash.com
Photo: Roman Synkevych. Source: Unsplash.com

The door to the state of flow

Our “carrying capacity” – in terms of perception and functioning of the nervous system – has limitations. When we are concentrated, the body directs all this resource for solving a specific problem, and the work gets done well. One of the most effective ways to achieve this effect is to turn on your favorite track and listen to it over and over again as you perform an action. According to psychologist Elizabeth Margulis, the monotony of the acoustic background won’t allow mind to be distracted.

The fact is that our brain quickly enough gets used to a repetitive pattern and after some time stops noticing it – at such a moment we focus a little more on the important things that we are doing with the muses. accompaniment. This effect was described back in 2004 by Jeff Hawkins in his book “About intelligence“Dedicated to the theory of the brain.

The genre of the track playing on repeat is also can influence on the way to work. Although we must admit that this moment mostly depends on the preferences of the listener. One way or another, many programmers, entrepreneurs and designers “loop” their favorite tracks, solving important problems. Next, we will discuss what they recommend for “replay” listening.

A couple of listening options

Founder of WordPress Content Management System Matt Mullenweg often puts music to repeat when programming. He chooses her from his playlist – there are works as jazz performers like Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollinsand hip-hop tracks from Jay-Z and Beyoncé. Some writers and journalists adhere to a similar approach – during their work they can listen the same song 300–400 times.

If the prospect of playing a single track doesn’t appeal to you, on Hacker News recommend “Play on repeat” albums. For example, “Dreamweapon: An Evening of Contemporary Sitar Music“From British alternative rock band Spacemen 3. It is easy to listen to as it consists of unobtrusive rhythms and predictable acoustic solutions.

Photo: Garett Mizunaka.  Source: Unsplash.com
Photo: Garett Mizunaka. Source: Unsplash.com

In the event that this kind of music distracts you, and the words in your favorite songs do not allow you to concentrate, try paying attention to soundtracks for films and video games. Their task is to help the player immerse themselves in what is happening on the screen, especially when it comes to music with a soft and calm sound. kinda Lo-Fi… The employees of the information security company Bishop Fox especially recommend collections from old games Nintendomade in this genre. Of course, in the thematic discussions, they also mention soundtracks from the GTA game line

Of course, there is no secret way to select a suitable background – it all depends solely on your preferences. However, Doug Belshaw, one of the authors training project “Web literacy“In Mozilla, highlighted three rules, which he is guided by when choosing a track to listen to on repeat: a) substantial duration (from three minutes); b) from 100 to 120 BPM (for example, this category includes “Stayin ‘Alive“From Bee Gees); c) lack of a vocal component. According to Doug, he likes to work to the track. Arcadia performed by the German musician Apparat. With this background, he feels most productive.

And what is playing on repeat for you? If there is such a desire, share in the comments.


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