Anyway, I have not been to the office in months. Perfect time, then, for a guide on how to listen to music at the office.
This guide was inspired by a former boss who had the most impeccable etiquette when it came to such things. We had a very efficient and elegant protocol: he never barged in to tap on my shoulder about anything when I was busy listening to something or not listening to something. You may object that his office was more than 800 kilometers away (about 450 liters and 9 hamsters for those who prefer the imperial measuring system), but I still appreciated his lack of attention. In exchange, I would always set my work chat to "Don't disturb" and the phone to Silent. To be honest, I never used any other settings anyway, I have no idea why these settings are not the default or why there are additional options that to choose from instead
Oh, yes, the guide... First -like all my guides- I am not an expert at this, and I do not claim supreme knowledge in the topic. I am not like those obese nutritionists who insist on being called gurus simply because they have read about carbs, probably while using crunchy biscuits as a fork for cake.
This is based on my personal experience and works for me. Feel free to try and keep whatever works, but I do not take any responsibility for failures, employment termination or anything bad. Actually, scratch that: I do not take any responsibility. Full-stop.
Of course, if it works, any donation on Patreon is welcome. It is welcome even if it does not work.
What? What advice? Oh, yes, yes, yes. Sorry. I was thinking about donations.
There it goes: the music I listen to depends on what kind of work I am trying to do. "Depends" is a crucial word in any job involving advisory, and for most consultants it is where they usually stop and ask for more money in a future revision or implementation.
I am not most consultants, though.
·
For admin stuff, something cheery to keep me
away from suicidal thoughts helps a lot. Unless it is to ask for money
(expenses, invoices, reimbursements), in which case a glorious march is the
most suitable option.
·
For day to day stuff (maintenance,
troubleshooting, deployments), it is usually something soothing and mellow,
like power metal or something with many instruments and no voices. This is also a great option for strategic planning activities, like sudoku or playing chess with Paul.
·
For when I do exciting work (scripting or
something creative or interesting), anything is fine, since I tend to ignore it
anyway. Even the choir of eight different bosses asking about those TPS reports
cannot distract me from the flow.
·
For important activities like watching stuff on
YouTube or Reddit I prefer to ditch the music completely and immerse in the acoustic delight provided by the said important activity.
As an endnote, when working in an office with other people, I think etiquette is quite important. Which is why I wear noise-cancellation headphones and never at high volume.
Sometimes I wear headphones even when I do not listen to anything. When someone asks me something and it is not related to where we go for lunch, I pretend not to hear them without them getting offended. If they insist, I insist in ignoring them, too. If they start waving or shoulder-tapping, well, offence it is! Please hold my headphones, I need to go sharpen that stapler.
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