I'm a software engineer. I choose music or silence tactically. If I need to power myself through a task, I use music to do it. If I'm trying to solve a difficult problem or master a complex body of unfamiliar code, I need silence.

Before WFH become the norm in early 2020, there were days when I made no progress at all until everyone else had gone home. The precious hour between 5pm and 6pm -- when the cleaners came and talked to me and broke my concentration again -- was sometimes more productive than the entire day that led up to it.

What also helps, working alone, is the ability to talk out loud to yourself. For me, it's a superpower. I dread losing it if Management decides to pull us all back into the office when the pandemic is over. (Or, even worse, continually talking to myself without realising it. :-))

> I dread losing it if Management decides to pull us all back into the office when the pandemic is over.

One thing this pandemic will be remembered for is how it permanently changed the way desk jobs are done. If "Management" decides to pull you back into office, there are many more "Managements" who are waiting to hire you by giving you the option to remain remote.

I wouldn't be able to work if the radio was on. I can buy that we want people near us not to feel alone. I get that too when nobody else is in the house and I'm alone and not working. You suddenly focus on a lot of noises you otherwise wouldn't and wonder if they're normal. That cracking noise your roof structure makes in 0F weather? You don't even notice when people are around but you wonder if someone is breaking into your house if you're alone and hear it.

I work best when it's "completely silent". By that I don't mean actually completely silent but I certainly don't want radio or any other kinds of chatter. I also can't stand noise from ventilation, such as the AC. I do know that a lot of people even buy "white noise machines" e.g. for sleeping. I can't understand why people would voluntarily import that kind of noise. I actively try to get rid of it as much as I can, such as turning the AC way up ahead of going to bed and shutting it off for going to sleep.

All that to say that we're all very different. He doesn't state absolute truths.

    Imagine sitting in a noisy cafe but still working on your paper because you don’t know anyone and don’t have the context of any discussion.

This is a really hard environment to get anything done in. I have trouble just reading a book in such an environment, because usually you _do_ hear individual conversations from your neighbours. If it's so noisy that you can't, then the "white noise" is so loud that it overpowers everything and that is what disturbs me.

I wonder if our work involves different type of thinking? I advise early stage startups, most of my time is reviewing go to market strategy, reading companies docs generally, and then writing emails asking lots of questions. If I'm reviewing a 150 page board deck, it can take me 4/5 hours to do it properly + notes, and I have to think pretty deeply about the deck, but I couldn't imagine doing it in silence, I'd go nuts.

I'm a team lead. I have enough interactions with people. There are phases of one meeting after another (video conf) or maybe a half hour in between here and there in which there's communication on various channels and topics in slack.

There are also phases of not having that interaction and I might be checking how a particular piece of code works right now e.g. while triaging a bug that came in or I might be creating or reviewing a document, such as a flow chart, architectural diagram etc. Or coding something of various different degrees of difficulty.

During none of these would I want any radio (or other kind of) noise. Not even the deep thinking and not interacting with people phases. I am also introverted so I like these phases. They recharge me.

At some point the kids come home and I'll have noise again and by that time I want to be finished with work.

By "radio on" did you mean you're listening to a radio channel or to white noise?

bbc world service or DW usually. I'm not listening though, occasionally I tune in, usually when I need to tune out of the work, and then tune back into the work, but it's just on, and my brain is good at using it for little rests when needed. DW is on right now, they've been talking about Bolsonaro for over an hour, all I know is some report came out and it wasn't favourable, but they've been talking about it for over an hour. Works super well for me! :)