I used to joke that my ideal writing environment…

Would be a vacuum-sealed room…

Where absolutely NO noise comes in.

Most of the time I still feel this way; I wear noise-canceling headphones all day while I’m at my office…

But not because I’m listening to music – I’m just trying to isolate myself from outside sound.

Truthfully, I have a hard time getting any deep work done without those headphones…

And typically I find that silence is my friend.

With that being said, though…

There are also certain times where listening to music is really helpful for me.

When I’m feeling sluggish or unmotivated…

I’ll often put on an album or a playlist as I begin to work…

It can shift my mood and get me into a productive zone really fast.

I can’t do this when I’m writing an actual sales copy,

But it works well for me when I’m going to be doing research, responding to emails, or even copyediting.

For me…

The key is to pick music that is very familiar.

If I’m listening to songs that I’ve never heard before, my attention will go towards the music…

But, if it’s a song I’ve heard a million times…

Then it just becomes pleasant background noise.

And, because I’m sure you’re going to ask…

Some of my favorite artists to listen to while working include:

The Lumineers, Generationals, Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, Talking Heads, Bob Dylan, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Magic City Hippies, Moon Taxi, Young the Giant, Cold War Kids, Andrew Bird, NAS, and of course, The Notorious B.I.G.

I also go through phases where I listen to a lot of “outlaw country.” I’m talking about stuff with twangy guitars and great lyrics.

Some of my favorite outlaw country songs include:

“Who Will The Next Fool Be” by Charlie Rich, “Waymore’s Blues” by Waylon Jennings, “My Wife Thinks Your Dead” by Junior Brown, “Someone to Give My Love To” by Johnny Paycheck, “All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)” by Hank Williams Jr, and “Why You Been Gone So Long” by Jessi Colter.

Admittedly, it’s a pretty eclectic mix of artists and songs…but that’s what I’m into.

What about you?

Do you listen to music when you write/work…
Or do you like it as quiet as possible?
If the answer is that you listen to music – let me know some of your go-to artists and/or songs.

– SPG

P.S. In yesterday’s email I picked the Texans and the Packers against the spread. I was 1 for 2.

Batting .500 is great when you’re in baseball or even as a copywriter. Not so great as a sports bettor.

So, I guess I won’t retire to become a professional gambler anytime soon 🙂

P.P.S. This post originally came from an email I sent to my private list. If you want to see more stuff like this from me, you can apply to join my list using this link.