Creating Quiet

When I do deep thinking or writing I have to have a certain environment for myself, or it’s just not gonna happen. I’m not one of those people who can have the radio on in the background, or be in a coffee shop environment where there are visual distractions. My best work is done in a still, quiet work space. Creating this work space for myself has been a challenge since I work inside a bustling academic library on a university campus. This post is to share with you how I’ve organized my sound set-up for thinking/writing.

First: I close my office door. Office doors that close are a luxury, I know. Shoot, even having an office is pretty great. I’m lucky.

Second: I close my email. I’ve already blocked the time in my Outlook calendar, so nobody is going to try and schedule a meeting with me during my reflective time.

Third: Sounds. This is my favorite part to tell you about. I have a Marsona white noise machine (the DS-600A model) that creates a great sound baffle for my office. That machine kind of blocks the background noise in the library. On top of that I wear noise cancelling headphones and tune in to one of three resources, depending on my mood:

• Calm. I have a subscription to the service for meditation purposes but you can listen to a variety of nature sounds for free on the website.
• FM3 Buddha Machine. I have the app on my iphone and you can listen to a sample at http://www.fm3buddhamachine.com/v2/?page_id=29.
• Rain. I’m still experimenting with this newest edition to my collection of neutral sounds. They also have an app you can download.

Once I’m locked in sound-wise, the environment is perfect for me to just drift away with my thoughts or writing.

I’m interested to learn if you have sounds or an app that you like to listen to in your own writing environment. Please share in a comment below.