What does it sound like

Awkward silence. 
Deserted office. 
Difficult to focus. 

Each of these quiet situations can potentially benefit from the beauty that is music. And so can we. 

No, not just the radio or those poppy head banging louder tunes. 

Think more like ambient music … it’s music you may not recognize and barely notice. 

But it’s there. And it’s been shown to help with distraction and focus management, productivity, creativity … and community. 

Could your space do with some music? Might your headspace benefit? Do you know the impacts it could have on you? 

I’m writing this post listening to an Apple music station, ‘Spa’. It’s like I’m waiting for the massage therapist to come in for my relaxation massage. 😃 It’s a great way to start the day. 

During the workday when I need to focus, I’ll play the ‘Chill’ station. 

I write more about the benefits of music, white noise and ambient noise in my book ‘Argh! Too much information, not enough brain’. It’s a practical guide to outsmarting overwhelm.

And this great article talks about how music might help us work better in this new and changing hybrid world. 

I think I’d edit the title to say ‘your LIFE probably needs more ambient music’. 

Press ‘play’ more often. 

Do this simple thing to make your brain work better

For all the hours we’re intensely focusing, working, pushing for deadlines and trying to be productive, there are times when we need something … softer. 

How about this : do you like the idea of ‘soft fascination’?

It sounds a little dreamy, a little curious, and as it turns out, highly recharging and refreshing. 

Overworking our attention wears it out. There isn’t a never ending supply. We have to recharge. Frequently. 

Some of the research suggests that we have about 4 hours of sustained effort in us before we need a recharge. 

So when you do recharge, try some ‘soft fascination’. It’s where we let our eyes relax, drift and go here and there. 

It’s different to sustained focus. And different to white wall boredom. 

Nature is the best place for us to enjoy in this activity of soft fascination. 

You don’t even have to go into nature for it to work. Looking out the window at nature will do. 

I love getting into nature whenever I can for this exact purpose. Walks. Beaches. Sunsets. Trees. Flowers. Weather. 

It’s all a vital part of helping make our brains work better.

Read more about it in this article in Inc. Magazine by Jessica Stillman.