Work music on repeat is a topic which has come up multiple times on Cortex. Grey has made it a part of his work routine, and both he and Myke agree that the whole concept of working for hours to a single song on repeat sounds like some kind of torture.
Most of the time, I vastly prefer to work in silence. I do listen to music sometimes, but it needs to be semi-carefully chosen, and it tends to get turned off if I run into something unexpected.
But, a single song or a very short playlist on repeat actually works well for me too. I think I was surprised the first time I heard about Grey doing it, but I have actually been doing it myself long before I ever heard of him doing it. I guess I simply did it so irregularly that it never really registered in my mind as something I did or could choose to do.
Now that I am thinking more actively about it, I wonder if I can and should try to use repeat music as a focus tool the same way Grey does. I think my love for silence will win out most of the time, but I could see music being a solid tool for those moments where my mind feels just a little foggy still and needs one little extra energy bump to get going.
No promises, no grand ambitions. Just another tool to keep in mind and try out every now and then.
When all you have is a … playlist? … everything looks like … work?