Music and The Flow
As developers we are often searching for The Flow… that special place where we are fully focused and making things happen. Music is often an important part of the developers ability to get into The Flow. Headphones and music could be the only thing that gets you through the busy (and loud) morning in the office. Sometimes even that doesn’t work.
Recently, there have been a lot of tools coming out to help. Everything from a music service that helps you focus to Brain Similators that gives a small electric current to you prefrontal cortex. There is even an industry leader, Carl Franklin, who is started a kickstarter, Music to code by, to create his own music that is designed specifically for getting into the flow while coding.
Finding Your Music Flow
Unfortunately it isn’t as easy as simply putting on headphones and turning the music up. Having clear goals (Trello helps me) and a immediate feedback loop (some sort of testing loop) are important but so is your music choice.
I found that the type of task and project I am working on is conductive to different types of music. Almost always it is music without lyrics. Here are few options I have found helpful:
- While Creating new features I like to have Up-tempo music that helps me channel creativity.
- When Re-factoring I like to have Chill/Down-Tempo music that helps me relax and concentrate on the task at hand.
- For Complex tasks it is plain Acoustical Guitar music that will help me solve the problem.
- When I am Bored or Upset I tend to listen to Classical music. It is hard to be upset when listening to Beethoven.
Whatever your music style take some time to try different types and reflect on how the music choice helped you accomplish your task and get you into The Flow. Experiment and have fun, everyone will have different preferences. And don’t forget to leave a comment to let me know what your preferences are. Enjoy the music and The Flow.
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