Have you ever noticed that your coding is affected by both your surroundings and how you are feeling on an emotional level. Music can play a very important role as a developer.
It’s important that you choose right music to listen while you are focusing.
Sing Along!
Singing along might sound fun but it will distract you from the job at hand. On the other hand playing classical music might make you do relaxed that it will send you to sleep.
A lot of developers will play chill out music, just have a watch on livecoding.tv and you will see what I mean. It will also give you an idea what sounds good to you. If you ask, the developer will usually let you know the Spotify or YouTube they are listening too. So don’t be shy to ask.
The Power Of Movies
Now I’m not saying watch a movie while you code. If you can do that then you have a much better multi tasking mind than I do.
What I am talking about is certain firm scores evoke energy and focus, especially if you know the movie. If you want an idea of what music I mean then try out my Spotify play list link below.
Quality Counts
OK so I’m a bit funny when it comes to the quality of music coming out of headphones or ear buds. I mean what’s the point in listening if it’s all muffled or just poor quality.
Your probably thinking that this means I must spend a small fortune on headphones. The answer is no I don’t. I have to admit I was in the apple store the other day and tried out some headphones which sounded amazing. Then I looked at the price. Omg £300, really.
The thing is you can buy a good pair of headphones for around £25-30 and Sony ear buds for £20 sound amazing. Just try them out and make sure they have a good range of high and low frequency.
You might also want to consider wireless headphones, which gives you the freedom to reach the coffee brewing away or just standing for a few minutes to move your body. Highly recommended, especially when your suck in one of those moments when a solution just won’t pop into your head.
Finally
There are moments your mind will crave silence, so don’t force it on yourself to listen. If you don’t feel at all motivated then your mind needs stimulation so try something upbeat. Your mind needs both exercise and rest but most of all fuel, so don’t forget to hydrate yourself while you code.