Focus

I am an author and a mother of two young boys (aged 3 and 1 ½). Needless to say, I have difficulty working on my latest novel when my children are hanging from my arms or squealing like banshees. My success in completing any amount of work is largely credited to my mom for babysitting and my husband for keeping the kids occupied for a couple of hours on the weekends.

But what, you ask, do I do when my husband and sons are playing ‘chase’ in my living room like wild things, growling and screeching for the fun of it? I plug my headphones into my computer and listen to classical music. Now, I know you may think classical music is boring, but I have found that music with lyrics tend to make me type what I’m listening to. With classical music I am able to put it to background music… or theme music, if you will. Much like I am now.

I quite like how Beethoven’s music gets fast and exciting; it tends to make my fingers work faster at the keyboard, and my mind think clearly.

I also do this when I have a few hours to do writing at the coffee shop (when my mom is babysitting—thank you!); I get distracted by all the interesting gossipy conversations going on around me. But with my headphones in, I can easily focus.

What about you? Do you listen to music to focus or do you need something more physical like caffeine? What kind of music do you need to keep you on track?