Music for Focus

Same, by working with something I am familiar with and have almost mechanical memory, no problems listening any music. That includes working on coding, but I have done it before.By creating "new/bespoke" functionality, then I have to switch off music.To read complex document and make my own judgement I need to switch off music.And same problem applies with office work noise.

Explore and try things. I have found listening to my favorite music is a hindrance, for example. I instead have found that listening to drum'n'bass or jazz helps a lot. I normally wouldn't listen to them, but they are more nondescript and fill the background space nicely, allowing me to concentrate.I'm there to work, not enjoy my music, so I am perfectly OK with this change.

I've actually never really thought of this and I find it rather interesting. For years I've used a combination of ambient and post-rock music and services like mynoise to focus. I've never thought that it could be a distraction for people. Thank you for posting this, gave me something to think about.

I'm 28. My focus sucks overall, but a recent improvement I've made is the type of music / noise I have while working. I switched from music I really enjoy and tend to sing/hum with, to electronic music with little to no vocals and upbeat tempos. My mind focuses less on the words and music, and allows me to think more about what I'm doing.I've also tried some white noise creators, like this one for coffee shop sounds: http://coffitivity.com/

have you tried listening to white/pink/brown noise instead of music? it works wonders for my concentration. there are numerous noise generators online, i like this one: http://www.simplynoise.com/

I recommend noise-cancelling headphones and ambient music. Ambient music is non-intrusive by design so it doesn't interfere with your workflow as much as more 'active' music.

I find music too distracting, so I use ambient rain or wave noises - nothing with too much sonic contrast, no details to stand out and draw my attention.The "focus at will" app is pretty good for minimally distracting music though.

Agreed on headphones for immersion. More specifically for me -- when I really need to focus and I'm around other people, I listen to noise (playnoise.com is good and simple). Anything but noise is just another mental distraction for me. If I listen to music, no matter how ambient, my mind still wants to follow the music instead of whatever it is that I'm trying to focus on.

Try electronic music, or on Spotify there is a "deep focus" playlist. On YouTube and Spotify there is "No Copyright Sounds" which is also this kind of music. I play this stuff all day at work. It sets a tone and keeps that part of my brain entertained but does not invoke distracting emotions (which is what good music is supposed to do.)

I usually have lo-fi or classical instrumental music playing on my headphones. This helps me focus. Anything with words/lyrics makes it difficult to focus on the work i'm doing.