As many others have discovered, I find that background music can be an excellent way to get into ‘the zone’ whilst working, where what you’re doing flows effortlessly from your fingertips and everything just clicks. The only issue I’ve run into is that selecting an album becomes a whole thing in itself, and the fact that about 45 minutes later I’ll have to do it all over again!
A few years ago I found an excellent solution; online noise generators. After some research I found what must be the absolute pinnacle of the genre: mynoise.net. The guy behind the site clearly wants everything to be done in the best manner possible. He goes on field trips to make high quality original recordings, and he has combined his immense library of sounds into soundscapes. The special sauce is that one can automate the volume sliders of the set of sounds in a generator, resulting in an infinitely ever-changing background of sound; no more changing the album after 45 minutes! What’s amazing is that, due to the sound quality and the variation, the generators never become intrusive or annoying – I have had a single generator running during an entire working day before now. They just sink into the background, keeping that kitten busy and allowing me to focus and get on with whatever I need to do.
My go-to generator is The Name Of The Rose – you find yourself in the chapel of a 14th century monastery – but there are literally hundreds of other generators to choose from – windscapes, seascapes, cafés, music, marketplaces, sci-fi – the list is practically endless! Add to this the thoughtful site design and you have a rare example of the internet like it used to be – no ads (the site is supported entirely subscription), no distractions, just a web site that’s the result of one person’s passion. Long may it continue to enable flow-state!