Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study?

Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by dorkwood on Sunday October 04, 2020 @12:17AM (#24676497)

One weird trick I use is to listen to a particular kind of music. The genre isn't important. Neither is the content. What's important is that I've listened to that same music while experiencing a flow state in the past.

Just as music attached to a time and place can make us remember how we felt back then, music attached to memories of deep work can make us feel more focused. I don't have any sources to back this up. It's just my personal experience.

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Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by nobody_nothing on Sunday October 04, 2020 @12:33AM (#24676551)

Agreed. Often times it's easier for me when the music doesn't have lyrics (although if I've listened to it enough times, even that stops mattering).

Lately my flow music is Xerrox, Vol. 4 by alva noto[1].

[1] https://album.link/s/5czmSKJDla5GcXs6IMOLAc

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Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by mnazim on Sunday October 04, 2020 @12:56AM (#24676623)

Can't recommend CodeRadio[0] enough for this purpose.

0: https://coderadio.freecodecamp.org/

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Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by aareet on Sunday October 04, 2020 @12:22AM (#24676520)

This resonates very much with me - I've been carrying around a playlist I discovered on 8tracks ("Homework at Hogwarts") for years now that I play when I need to focus and get something done.

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Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by bennovw on Sunday October 04, 2020 @03:19PM (#24681567)

I noticed the same thing. It has to be music without lyrics in my case, and I built up a special playlist just for work. In case anyone is interested. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5w6Kxs4XOrYJ633klaxIfQ

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Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by quickthrower2 on Sunday October 04, 2020 @05:01AM (#24677397)

I did a course where they played the same playlist before the next part of the course after the break.

The last two songs were:

Danger zone

We will rock you

Chosen for their relative lengths!

You know when danger zone is on there is one song left, it gives about 4 minutes for everyone to kinda get ready, finish coffees etc.

Then we will rock you is short so once everyone is kinda ready it’s not long before the lesson starts.

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Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by alecigne on Sunday October 04, 2020 @04:31AM (#24677307)

I listen to SomaFM's Drone Zone channel on noise-cancelling headphones when I program. It broadcasts "drone" music – no lyrics, very little rhythm, melody or harmony – the music concentrates mainly on sound texture. And of course, no ads. Can't recommend it enough.

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Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by codewritinfool on Sunday October 04, 2020 @09:52AM (#24679046)

Ozric Tentacles for me. With the exception of two songs that I can think of in their 30-album catalog, there are no vocalizations. Just trippy psychedelic space rock. It may not work for everyone, but it puts me in the zone and I can code without lyrical distraction.

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Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by yawnxyz on Sunday October 04, 2020 @12:48AM (#24676586)

same! I'll usually listen to chillhop tracks and it helps, and usually I'll just shuffle the same songs. And they can't be really good songs or that'll distract me.

Sometimes I'll also listen to Russian songs, weirdly that does it for me (I don't speak Russian)

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Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by exophoric on Sunday October 04, 2020 @01:11AM (#24676665)

did my PhD from A to Z listening to the same songza, then google play music, now youtube music station. I still listen to it while working.

I cannot relate more to what has been said above.

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Re:Ask HN: What is your trick to do deep work or study? by djmips on Sunday October 04, 2020 @04:45AM (#24677335)

Music with lyrics takes me out of the zone so for me it has to be instrumental only.

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