Noise in Silence: Concentration in the Office

The clacking of keyboards, clicking of mice, creaking of chairs, clearing of throats, crunching of food—these are the sounds of the proofreading department in my office. The quiet is supposed to promote and support the intense concentration needed for the job.

Every day I pray for noise.

To me, silence is distracting…when other people are present. I become hyperaware of the sounds everyone makes because in the quiet, the slightest of noises are gross intrusions. I can’t help but fixate on the one or two sounds breaking the silence. They roll around in my head as annoying points of focus.

Oh, bless you for sneezing, Doug. Wow, Aimi sure is hammering away on her keyboard. And is that Carol munching on chips? Eat with your mouth closed, woman!

Even the intermittent noise of proofreading tasks, such as using the keyboard and mouse and flipping through books, is not steady or loud enough of a drone to qualify as soothing background noise. The silence reigns.

Only when there’s a steady murmur of chatter drifting in from the kitchen, the low whoosh of the air passing through the vents, the hum of the photocopier running, and the boisterous laugh of my boss ringing out can I focus and work in peace. Of course, too much noise can make it difficult to proofread, but a healthy level of this background noise is ideal for me.

One of the main reasons I struggle with silence when people are around is my own self-consciousness. With such quiet and how easily I can hear others, I know they can likewise hear me. I worry that my own noises carry to my fellow proofreaders’ ears and distract them as they distract me. There’s nothing like a stomach growl splitting through the air.

This is why I much prefer working alone, without anyone around. Silence when I am by myself is heavenly, peaceful, relaxing, and focus enhancing. On my own, there’s no one to make small, distracting noises that cut through the quiet. More important, there’s no one to hear my own noises. I’m not self-conscious of the silence, and I can turn my full concentration on my work.

So don’t get me wrong—I appreciate and value silence. Very much so. Just not when others are near. I appreciate their low, steady, and full background noise instead. A slightly noisy office is easiest to tune out and best to concentrate in, as counter-intuitive as that sounds.

Music to My Words

Whenever I sit down to write, I queue up a few albums in my media player or find a playlist online to stream. I select whatever music suits my mood, my writing, the weather outside. I set the volume to medium low and enter another world inhabited only by my writing and the music and a swirl of thoughts tangled up in both.

The music accompanying my writing is more to me than white noise or entertainment. It is as much a part of the writing process as are staring out the window thinking or drawing up character sketches. Like those two processes, music helps me clear my thoughts and focus. Listening to the right songs leads to discovery and invention and motivation.

Music is inspiration. The evocative, moving nature of harmonies sparks feelings, images, and ideas for my writing. Music is creativity. Every song sings its own story that excites me in telling my own. Music is a soundtrack. Melodies enhance the atmosphere for my scenes and sharpen my words.

In essence, listening to music while writing further immerses me in the experience. My story plays like a movie through my head with the music augmenting all the right moments. I can see every setting, every action, every smirk of my characters clearly. And as the music carries me through the movie of my story, so does it carry my momentum in writing it.

Not any music will do, however. I cannot listen to music containing vocals with words, English or otherwise, because they compete with my written words for attention. Vocals that are nothing more than oohs, aahs, and ums, though, are okay.

As for genre, I favour soft, ambient, and new age-style electronic (not house, trance, dubstep, drum&bass and all similar derivatives), psybient, downtempo, electroaccoustic, new age, world (whatever that means, for what it’s worth), orchestral, and of course, video game soundtracks.

Right now? I’m listening to the original soundtrack of Fire Emblem: Awakening (here’s the OST on YouTube for those interested). It’s much more evocative than what this post calls for, but its contemplative mood is perfect for reflection.

Does music help you write? Do you listen to certain kinds of music for particular writing scenarios? Answer my polls and let me know in the comments!