Hello, remember me?
It’s been a minute since my last Substack! While I’ve not been writing much here, I promise I’ve been racking up the word count at my day job. (For those who don’t know, I’m a strategist and writer at a creative agency.)
Sometimes I work in silence. Well, as close as you can get to it living in NW London with construction sites on either side of your flat (shout out Westminster council for the non-stop developments WHEN WILL YOU BE DONE?!). Other times, I like a bit of music or some binaural beats.
QUICK SEGUE ON BINAURAL BEATS…
Binaural beats are a type of auditory illusion, because they’re created when we hear two different frequencies, one in each ear, at the same time. This causes our brain to perceive a third frequency, which is the difference between the two you’re hearing. The magic of the beats doesn’t lie in what you’re hearing, but in the effect they have on the brain. Certain frequencies can have a variety of effects, such as reducing anxiety, improving focus, enhancing creativity, and helping you relax. I’ve found they can really help me get into a state of "flow", but you have to listen to them with headphones so that you get the different frequencies in each ear. Amazing, right?!
Aside from the binaural beats, I also get through a fair few NTS infinite mixtapes, ambient soundscapes, and random ‘coffee shop jazz’ playlists while working. I have no specific scientific reference to back this up, but if the music has lyrics I find it increases my cognitive load too much, leading to mental fatigue. They either have to be in a language I don’t understand, slightly inaudible, or few and far between. What I listen to varies wildly. However, through experimentation and discovery I’ve found certain songs help me gain (and maintain) momentum without getting too distracted.
You wouldn’t know it from my stone cold silence on here, but between my last post and this, I’ve written a hell of a lot (literally, noone asked) and all thanks to my trusty playlist. So I thought I’d share it with you…please enjoy a selection of my go-to tunes, should you need some beats to buoy your productivity this week. I’ll do my best to regularly refresh it with my latest picks. Enjoy and happy writing :)