Total Silence, Total Focus

When I concentrate, noises easily distract me and get me out of the zone. When I want to focus, I either go to a quiet place or I isolate myself from the ambient racket.

I work in a coworking space; around me, people chat and talk. As I’m writing this, I can hear Jack talking on the phone; he’s in his office 15 meters away from me, his door is open, he’s talking at a normal volume, and I can’t understand what he’s saying, but I still get distracted by his voice.

The common solution is wearing headphones and playing some music. I used to listen to electronic music without lyrics, but I found it tiring, and it wasn’t as conducive to focus as plain old silence. Noise-canceling headphones are pretty good at muting background noise, but I can still hear people’s voices and high-pitched noises.

To achieve better isolation in noisy environments, I use a three-pronged strategy:

1. Comfortable earplugs. I prioritize comfort over isolation. Wearing earplugs for extended periods can give me a headache, so comfort is key. I use the Howard Leight LL1 earplugs these days; they work well with my ear canal. Your mileage may vary: try on different brands and sizes to know what works best for you. I haven’t tried silicone putty earplugs yet, and I am planning to give them a try to see if they are better than plain foam earplugs.

2. Noise-canceling or closed headphones. On top of the earplugs, I have over-ear headphones to get some extra isolation. At home, I use a Bose QC35 II; its noise-cancellation abilities are quite good. At work, I use an Audiotechnica ATH-M50; these are closed headphones, and while it’s not as good as the Bose at filtering ambient noise, it still gives me excellent isolation. Both pairs are comfortable, and I can wear them for several hours. Like the earplugs, comfort is more important than blocking sounds.

3. Brown noise: calming low-frequency sounds similar to ocean waves. I play it with my headphones via Bluetooth at a relatively low volume: enough to hear it, but low enough that it’s not distracting or tiring. This gives me a third layer of isolation. It’s great for covering the sounds that will inevitably get to my ears despite the earplugs and headphones. With the brown noise playing, I can hardly hear anything from the outside unless I pay attention.

I’ve been using this setup for 6 months now. I am well isolated from the environment’s noises, and I can focus better and longer. Putting the earplugs in, then the headphones on, and finally playing the brown noise has become a ritual of sorts. When I use this, I take a break after a couple of hours because it gets too uncomfortable wearing the earplugs and headphones. After 30 minutes of rest, I can put them on again and get back to what I was doing.

My coding, writing, and reading sessions are more intense and last longer. I don’t get as tired, and I’m feeling refreshed after each deep work session. In a distracted world, the ability to focus is a strength and a source of peace.