SDS 574: Music for Deep Work

(00:20):
Regular listeners will know that I am a strong proponent of “deep work”, the idea of switching notifications off for periods of time in order to focus deeply on cognitively demanding tasks like writing code or developing data models. The concept of deep work is detailed best by Cal Newport in his aptly-titled book Deep Work, but you can also get the idea from previous SuperDataScience episodes such as Episode #456 on a specific focus technique that I use every day called the Pomodoro technique. In fact, I’m using the Pomodoro technique to deep work while I research and record this episode that you’re listening to right now!

(00:58):
Separately, regular listeners may also have noticed that I’m a music fan, such as in Episode #536, which ends with me performing an acoustic rendition of the song Oh, Me! by a band called The Meat Puppets. Well, so today, in Five-Minute Friday, I’m going to blend these two worlds. I’m going to provide my top music recommendations for using while deep work-ing!

(01:23):
Ok. While I’m not working, I’m big into genres like rock from the ‘60s, progressive trance, and the baroque era of classical music. For me, it’s impossible to focus deeply on work when music has lyrics, so that straightaway writes off pretty much all rock and most trance music for listening to while working. Even instrumental trance or relatively subdued baroque music contains lots of instrumental melodies and stirring musical flourishes that take my mind away from whatever I’m working on, so all of my favorite genres are — at least for me — not suitable for listening to while I work.

(01:59):
Luckily, I have found music — or, at least, instrumental works that approximate music — that I can enjoy while working; indeed, I find they make it easier to settle into a long period of highly focused, deep work. My number one recommendation is an artist called Stellardrone who uses computer software and virtual synthesizers to create rich, layered ambient music that is evocative of outer space and that I absolutely love listening to. A particular album by Stellardrone that I recommend getting started with is called Echoes.

(02:32):
All of my other top recommendations have their own unique styles, but they are also electronic ambient music like Stellardrone. Specifically, albums I recommend checking out are: Hidden Shores/Empty Beach by Jeff Pearce, Kinetic by Alpha Wave Movement, A Quiet Light by Meg Bowles, and the epic four-hour Nordic Waves by Lucette Bourdin, which is an homage to the four major seasons: winter, spring, summer, and autumn.

(02:59):
If none of those albums are your cup of tea, then my final recommendation to you is Brain.fm, a website that generates an infinite “deep focus” playlist. When I don’t feel like picking a particular album to listen to, I simply go to Brain.fm, select “deep focus”, and press play.

(03:15):
By the way, I have not been paid to mention any of the artists or products I mentioned on the podcast today — they are all simply my genuine, personal recommendations. Of course, we’ve included links to get more information on all of the recommendations that I made and they are available for you in the show notes.

(03:33):
All right, that’s it for today. Keep on rockin’ it out there, folks, and I’m looking forward to enjoying another round of the SuperDataScience podcast with you very soon.