Are you distracted by music?

Do you listen to music whilst you write or read?  Do you play an album or put on the radio when you do the washing up?  Can you concentrate on whatever task is at hand at the same time as your favourite aria or rock chorus is playing in the background?  Strangely for me, as a man who lives up to the cliché of being unable to multi task in any meaningful way, I do all of these things.

Sometimes the music I listen to as I write inevitably colours the words that appear on the screen.  I remember many years ago that I sat at my desk and wrote a short story at the same time as listening to ’Blue’ by Joni Mitchell.  The story was progressing nicely enough, but it lacked a certain emotional core and then ‘The River’ came on and something within me switched on.  The story I was writing was quite brutal and raw and I was just getting to the emotional resolution when the plaintive, melancholy notes of ‘The River’ rung out and Joni’s willowy voice cut straight to the heart of the emotions I was trying to access for the story.  I remember writing a passage as I listened to the song and it flowed so well that I pressed repeat and played the song again.  Again, the words and emotions I wanted to convey just seemed to flow, so for the next half hour I played the song on repeat and wrote the remainder of the story with tears flowing down my cheeks and the full force of my feelings leaking out of me onto the page.  I like to think the story is more meaningful as a result, but additionally it was an extremely powerful experience and also very cathartic too.

I listen to music as I read (as I mentioned in my article ‘Forging a Golden Heart in Vienna’) and often certain albums will forever be linked to certain books, but I never seem to be distracted by the music I play.  Sometimes I have to tweak the volume so the music’s not too intrusive, but I think I tend to zone out a large portion of the music as I get progressively more involved in what I’m reading.  Yet a small part of me is always aware of the music, as I am responsive when a particular track or phrasing comes on that I love, or even if the music I have selected doesn’t match the tone of what I’m reading and it needs to be changed.

Both of these example are times when you need to concentrate and music may be a distraction, but I still manage to listen to my music and write or read at the same time with no problem.  One time I nearly always listen to music and it provide a welcome distraction is when I wash up the dishes.  I’ll put on the radio and dip my hands into the suds and pretty soon I am working methodically through the pots and pans and swaying to whatever music is being played that day.  There are times when I won’t put on the radio, mostly when I have house guests or friends over, but generally I am happy to have my hands in warm water with some tunes and a DJ’s voice in the background and it makes a household chore much more bearable.

This also applies to listening to music at work (as is mentioned in my article ‘Music helps me get through the working day’) and funnily enough, whilst I’m unable to focus or concentrate if someone talks to me at the same time as doing my job or when I’m on the phone (as my colleagues will testify to when my male brain freezes and I’m unable to do either of the things vying for my attention), I am able to carry out my duties and do paperwork at the same time as listening to music with no problem whatsoever and like with the washing up, it helps me get through the day in one mental piece.

I know some people who will never play music in the background as they go about certain tasks.  But for me it actually enhances some things I do, like with the story I wrote and it also helps me do mundane tasks that I’d otherwise not enjoy or feel motivated to do (like with the exercise mentioned in ‘Running to Music‘).  There is nothing better than sitting down and giving an album your full attention, but saying that, there is also nothing wrong with playing music in the background as you go about the various tasks of your day.  As long as your focus is still there and you are acting safely, then it can be another benefit of having music in your life.