Music: Adderall to the Ears

[Photo: GadgetSin.com]

I love music.

It's as easy as that. But what amazes me constantly is how much it can have an effect on you at any given moment you're listening to it. Whether it's getting the urge to dance on the quad like a solitary flash-mob because the next catchy tune from the radio comes on, or when you get the chills down your spine as the climax of an instrumental epic explodes in your eardrums, music can (and frequently does) affect you physically. Today I was working in the studio after yet another frustrating experience at Kinko's (but we'll save that for another post), and I was exhausted. So of course, what did I do? I popped my headphones in and got ready to rock the heck out. Music of choice? Super Mash Bros.

My brain felt like this.

BAM! Efficiency and focus went up by like 50 points. There were X-acto blades flying everywhere, paper was whirling around like a blizzard... it was probably a safety hazard, but what did I care? I was in the ZONE. After about 30 minutes I already had all my work done for a project I had set aside at least an hour for. I've also recently started to listen to the scores of movies (e.g. Lord of the Rings, Tangled, How to Train Your Dragon), and man do those work! I just feel like I'm on some picturesque mission filled with wonder and adventure to, like, complete an assignment or something. For some people, listening to music can be a distraction, but for me pumping music through my ears while I'm working is no doubt the best way to really lock me in to what I need to get done.