Productivity
Using Noise To Tune Out The Roommate
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If you’ve been reading Geek Stew for a while (or if you follow me on Twitter, or if you know me personally) you know that I have ADHD. I don’t think I’ve dedicated a post specifically to this, but I am pretty sure I’ve mentioned it before. Some of the classic symptoms of ADHD include a difficulty “to get organized, to stick to a job, to keep an appointment.” (Read more about ADHD at the National Institute for Mental Health website)
This inability to concentrate can make it VERY difficult for me to finish my homework or pay attention when a professor is giving a lecture. While I haven’t figured out how to solve the lecture problem yet, I did discover something recently that has helped me to stay focused while doing my homework. Recently Lifehacker dedicated a post to the benefits of white noise. (No, I’m not talking about this band.)
White noise has many practical uses. Wikipedia’s entry for white noise lists a few:
White noise can be used to disorient individuals prior to interrogation and may be used as part of sensory deprivation techniques. White noise machines are sold as privacy enhancers and sleep aids and to mask tinnitus. White noise CDs, when used with headphones, can aid concentration by blocking out irritating or distracting noises in a person’s environment.
I’ve tried lots of things in my headphones to keep me focused, but so far I haven’t found something that works. If I listen to music that I know, I end up singing along to the lyrics. If I listen to music that I don’t know, I end up getting distracted by the lyrics or melodies. If I listen to ambient no-lyric music, it puts me to sleep. White noise has none of those things, so I’m starting to like it. To compare it to something, it sounds like a TV or radio that’s between stations. Like fuzzy static.
I don’t turn the volume up too loud - just enough to block out any outside noise. It also helps that I found some killer headphones. (Skull Candy Ink’d ear buds. $15 at Target.com)
The Lifehacker post mentioned above suggests three different sources to get your noise on:
- Mac users: a nifty little free download called Noise from Blackhole Media. (Also includes pink noise for a more colorful anti-social experience.)
- Everyone: visit SimplyNoise.com for a browser-based solution. (They have also recently added pink noise, and promise to be “adding more great features…”
With Fall semester coming up, give these options a try if you’re having trouble blocking out the world around you for a few minutes of focus.
What are the rest of you doing to stay focused out there?
Share your tips (type quietly please…that guy next to you is trying to study) in the comments.
Discussion
5 comments for “Using Noise To Tune Out The Roommate”
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All I need is music that I have heard before (blues or metal) going in the background and I don’t have too much trouble paying attention. If there is no background noise, I get really antsy and can’t pay attention to anything - mild case of tinnitus perhaps?
Additional Note: When said roommate is your significant other don’t use the term, don’t say you are “tuning them out,” they don’t like that…
ha. good call on the “significant other” tip. I don’t think my wife would like that either!
We have one of those whole-house air purifiers that has about 80 million different settings. It’s usually set at the nice, subtle, low-volumed “sleep, small room” setting. If I’m working and need to cancel out all other sounds so I can focus, I can increase the white noise output by changing the setting to “super, extra large room” and I won’t even be able to hear the phone ring. Plus, you know, all that filtered air is helpful for focusing…
[...] a place to live. And if you happen to get stuck with some annoying roommates or crazy neigbors, read this post to find out how to tune them out. a2a_linkname=”Finding a Place to Live 13 Days Before School Starts”; [...]