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Can’t Focus while working from Home? Music might help…

Music_Working_Remotely

Ever wonder what can help you ignore those pesky distractions and help you hunker down with your work at home? Well, research shows that putting on your trusty headphones might do the trick. While many of us need complete silence in order to work productively, putting on the right type of music may help you reach the finish line.

However, finding the “right type” of music can be tricky. There are different types of work out there, which call for different kinds of music. We explored a number of studies on the connections between work productivity and music. Throughout these studies, two distinct styles of work continued to pop up: tedious work and creative work. We summarized some important findings to help you reach that harmonious sweet spot between work and music.

Music for Tedious Tasks

Some work may not always call for significant brain power and it’s during these times when the music you love can come in handy.

In 2005, Teresa Lesiuk of University of Windsor released a study that focused on the effects of music on work productivity. Data was collected from 56 software designers who reported how music affected their work in their respective work environments during a five week period.

“Results indicated that state positive affect and quality-of-work were lowest with no music, while time-on-task was longest when music was removed. Narrative responses revealed the value of music listening for positive mood change and enhanced perception on design while working” said Lesiuk.

Her findings support that listening to music you like improves your mood and morale, which can increase your productivity. The music serves as a healthy distraction for when you are slogging through paperwork. So if you see your inbox is chalked full with new emails, by all means, crank it to 11.

Suggestions

Before you play your music of choice, make sure it is something that you already know. Listening to a new song, whether it is good or bad may distract you from completing your work. In other words, familiarity is the key here. If you are dying to listen to that new song by your favorite artist, use that desire as a reward and motivate yourself by listening to their earlier songs while working.

Music for Creativity

On the other end of the spectrum there’s creative work. Creative work requires a specific kind of music.  Clearly, you don’t want music that will be distracting to your creative process, but sound can still be a creative stimulus for your brain.  An effective medium between total silence and loud rhythmic music is soft, ambient music.

A study published in 2012 shows how ambient noise can help people with creativity. Through five experiments they observed the exact number of decibels when ambient noise and music can be beneficial to workers and their creativity.

The authors summarized, “Results from five experiments demonstrate that a moderate (70 dB) versus low (50 dB) level of ambient noise enhances performance on creative tasks and increases the buying likelihood of innovative products.”

The sounds arouse the brain, which leads to creativity. It acts as a constant stimulant for your brain, which then makes other noises, like your dishwasher, not as distracting. But, if the music or noise is too loud it can distract you, inhibiting the creative process.

The authors said “A high level of noise (85 dB), on the other hand, hurts creavity.”

Suggestions

So if you are trying to get some magic on paper, artists like Aphex Twin or Brian Eno can be of great service to help you focus. They both have albums with select “Ambient Works” on them, so they are safe bets. Or try listening to nature’s music or some white noise since these will provide the same effect. 

What to Avoid

Ever been really focused on a speaker then all of a sudden your attention drifts to the people behind talking about their weekend plans?   Imagine this scenario, but with John Lennon singing in your ear. We’ve looked at to how music can be helpful when working, but there are still times when music may not be so helpful, overall.

Generally, you should avoid music with lyrics if you are working on something that is demanding. Lyrics have the tendency to grab our attention and prevent us from fully focusing on the task at hand. A recent study done in 2012 looked at the effects of music with lyrics and without lyrics on 102 participants’ concentration. They found that music with lyrics negatively affected the participants’ concentration.

Additionally, music can also be a hindrance when trying to learn something new. There’s a reason why teachers don’t blast metal when trying to teach business calc. It has the same effect of multi-tasking. You cannot give 100 percent of your attention to one thing if you are also focused on something else.

Summary

If you find yourself not being able to focus for whatever reason, try listening to music and see what is best for you. But, keep in mind that some music can be more harmful than good.

Suggestions to keep in mind:

If you find yourself losing steam, try playing music that you think will help you get through your work. If you end up air playing air guitar, then you might want to find something else.

When trying to come up with ideas for your next project give ambient music or ambient sounds a try. Songza is a great site that provides a wide array of music and sounds based on the activities you’re doing, including streams like white noise and “In a Quiet Park.”

Try to avoid music with lyrics, since they prove to be distracting. Especially if something calls for your undivided attention.

And if you find that music is just too distracting, then stick with silence since that is what works for you. In the end, it’s all about what helps you get your work done well and efficiently. 

April 23, 2015by remotenation
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Guides, Office, Working Remotely

Ideal Audio and Video Setup for Remote Teams

Best_Audio_Visual_Remote
Updated on January 26th, 2018.

What is the best mic / headset / audio setup for a remote distributed team? I get asked this question a lot. In fact, I’ve been asked two times today already, so I thought I’d throw down these thoughts in a post to share with folks.

Audio / Voice

We do a lot of voice calls all day long, every day. For a long time, we used Skype exclusively. More recently, we’ve switched to Google Hangout for our smaller team calls and Skype for our larger calls (more on that later). And like you, we also talk with clients who use a variety different audio tools to communicate without being in the same room.

Here is what not to do:

  • Do not use the built-in speaker and mic in your laptop. The problem here is that the mic in your laptop is far away from your mouth and is designed to pick up audio from the entire room. It’s better to use a headset with a boom that places the mic directly in front of your mouth.
  • Do not use a wireless headset. We’ve found that these things last about 3 – 4 months tops before they break. They are also prone to interference or dying batteries. This is the last thing you want to worry about while you’re in the middle of a call with people. These are not things we have to deal with when we’re interacting person to person, so it’s best to just eliminate the possibility of problems by going direct with a cable.
  • Do not use a USB headset. We’ve found that USB headsets will produce garbled Darth Vader like sound or interference from time to time. Usually, you can remedy this by disconnecting and reconnecting your USB headset, but this is not something you want to have to mess with in the middle of a call with people. If you stay away from USB headsets and go direct into your computer’s sound input jack, you’ll eliminate another potential cause for problems.
  • Avoid phone based conference call bridges whenever possible. The main problem here is that most phone bridges are low fidelity audio. Computer audio like Skype and Google Hangouts leverage HD Audio, which we’ve found to make an enormous difference when communicating as a team. It’s amazing how much of a difference it makes to pick up the subtle nuances and tones of voice that you can with HD Audio.

Our recommended audio gear for the Solo Road Warrior:

  • A headset with passive noise canceling boom mic (like this Sennheiser). By the way, I have used the one linked for almost 2 years without fail. Removing all the wireless, USB, active noise canceling, complicated nonsense, just leaves a solid performing and reliable headset.
  • If you use a mac, you’ll need to get one of these to plug directly into your Macbook Pro or other Mac computer. This will also let you use the headset with your mobile phone if you want.

Conference room audio setup on a budget:

  • I’ve done a lot of research into the ideal conference room mic. I’ve tried the Blue Snowball Mic, this Audio Technica Condenser Mic (which will make you sound like a radio DJ), and others. We’ve found that this MXL AC404 does the best job of picking up audio from throughout the conference room, while canceling out sound generated from the speakers. We recently replaced another conference room mic with the MXL AC404 in 2018 and the difference was night and day. Amazing product!
  • For speakers, we’ve used these simple Bose Multimedia speakers. If the person on the other end is using one of the headsets above, it basically sounds like they are right in the room with you.

Video Calls

Video is still remarkably hard to get right, but current state video has reached the point where it adds significant value to interactions. We’ve used Skype, Google Hangouts, Google Meet, Zoom, Slack, and other solutions for video calls. Almost all of these solutions work pretty good and some have their quirks. We’ve found that the most important thing to consider when doing video calls is to have good internet upload bandwidth and a good camera. Unfortunately, the cameras built into most laptop computers are middle of the road. They’ll work and add value, but there are several after market cameras that you can get to make you look more clear and to push highre resolution, like this HD Logitech camera.

For conference room setups, a newer entrant into this space is the innovative Meeting Owl 360 degree camera. This camera has 360 degree audio and video coverage and auto focuses the camera on whoever is talking. It is a little pricey, but if you want the best possible experience blended with a conference room setting, it is worth considering.

We’ve also tested the LG UltraFine 5K Monitor. People have a love/hate relationship with this particular monitor, but the camera built into this monitor is superb. I personally, have appreciated the video clarity on this monitor as well and have not really had any issues with it paired with my Macbook Pro.

February 9, 2015by Josh Cramer
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Advice, Office, Working Remotely

Working Remotely: Best Locations Away From the Home Office

Working_Remotely_Coffee_Shop_

My home office is quiet and I prefer to keep it that way. I’m tucked away in my own room with nothing more than a computer, a desk, a chair and an endless supply of music.

There is an assumption that working from home will be more distracting, but my experience has been quite the opposite. In fact, I am so glued to my desk that it makes me concerned for my long term health! Nobody should sit as much in a day as I do, so I am trying some new locations that will alleviate the physical and mental stress of prolonged sitting.

Best Places Besides Your Home Office for Working Remotely


Co-working Space

Perhaps you need to get out and see people, preferably people with similar interests. You are in luck! Coworking spaces are the place for you–ps, we cannot vouch for the dude in the hammock on that Wikipedia entry.

Typically you can pay by the day, or monthly if you REALLY want to get away from the house. One of our local spots even offers a free day once a month, which is a great opportunity to kick the tires.

In short: great spot, make friends, bring some change.

Coffee Shop

OK, so you either love coffee or just need to be amongst the people. Your friends and family, who do not work remotely, will undoubtedly get the ‘you working at Starbucks’ image in there head, but in reality working at coffee shops is not ideal.

Local shops are great in a pinch, or if you just want to get out for a bit and have some froyo. Unfortunately, the bad music, open-mouth eating and K-Mart grade internet service often ruin the experience.

In short: at least the food is good.

Office Space

You big timer you! While you’re at it, throw on a suit. Settle down, I’m just kidding… If you find yourself having the extra dough (or a lot of distractions at home), then this is a good way to take back control of your environment.

A couple of my peers at Fullstack use this alternative. It can be quite pricey, so you may need to find a roommate who is in the same boat.

In short: big desk, room with a view, open your wallets.

Public Spaces

This is a crapshoot where the environment can vary wildly. We happen to have a nice local library which is not too bad, though there may be somebody sleeping next to you on a couch… with their shoes off.

Most places have some form of wireless nowadays. On a college campus? Sneak in to a study place. Museum? Sure why not.

In short: be creative, explore your area.

Go Outside

Don’t overlook the obvious options nearby. Maybe you are fine never seeing people, no problem. At least take advantage of the fact that you are not chained to a cubicle. Go sit in your recliner, grab a spot at the dining room table, or better yet: set up camp on the porch and get some fresh air.

In short: you don’t have to go far, or put shoes on.

Stand Up

OK, so you are not a fan of change… or people. At least stand up every once in a while. Standing at a kitchen countertop will at least get your blood circulating in your legs. If you enjoy that and want more, then build a cheap desktop shelf or buy a standing desk.

In short: sitting down is killing you, literally.

Desert Island

Dude, you’re on vacation. Put the laptop down and pick up a fruity drink.

Summary

The point here is that you should take advantage of your freedom. Unlike working in an office (specifically in a cubicle) you can pick up your stuff and move. There are all sorts of reasons that changing your workspace is great, physical and mental health being two of most important.

So start small if you have to, stand up. Need to clear your head? Pack up your laptop and drive somewhere… practically anywhere.

What’s your preference? Any other great spots that have we overlooked?

January 5, 2015by Ryan Kearins
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